was vp-blowne with luxury And eke with fatnesse swollen were his eyne And like a Crane his necke was long and fyne With which he swallowd vp excessiue feast For want whereof poore people oft did pyne And all the way most like a brutish beast He spued vp his gorge that all did him deteast In greene vine leaues he was right fitly clad For other clothes he could not weare for heat And on his head an yuie girland had From vnder which fast trickled downe the sweat Still as he rode he somewhat still did eat And in his hand did beare a bouzing can Of which he supt so oft that on his seat His dronken corse he scarse vpholden can In shape and life more like a monster then a man Vnfit he was for any worldly thing And eke vnhable once to stirre or go Not meet to be of counsell to a king Whose mind in meat and drinke was drowned so That from his friend he seldome knew his so Full of diseases was his carcas blew And a dry dropsie through his flesh did flow Which by misdiet daily greater grew Such one was Gluttony the second of that crew And next to him rode lustfull Lechery Vpon a bearded Goat whose rugged haire And whally eyes the signe of gelosy Was like the person selfe whom he did beare Who rough and blacke and filthy did appeare Vnseemely man to please faire Ladies eye Yet he of Ladies oft was loued deare When fairer faces were bid standen by O who does know the bent of womens fantasy In a greene gowne he clothed was full faire Which vnderneath did hide his filthinesse And in his hand a burning hart he bare Full of vaine follies and new fanglenesse For he was false and fraught with sicklenesse And learned had to loue with secret lookes And well could daunce and sing with ruefulnesse And fortunes tell and read in louing bookes And thousand other wayes to bait his fleshly hookes Inconstant man that loued all he saw And lusted after all that he did loue Ne would his looser life be tide to law But ioyd weake wemens hearts to tempt and proue If from their loyall loues he might them moue Which lewdnesse fild him with reprochfull paine Of that fowle euill which all men reproue That rots the marrow and consumes the braine Such one was Lecherie the third of all this traine And greedy Auarice by him did ride Vpon a Camell loaden all with gold Two iron coffers hong on either side With precious mettall full as they might hold And in his lap an heape of coine he told For of his wicked pelfe his God he made And vnto hell him selfe for money sold Accursed vsurie was all his trade And right and wrong ylike in equall ballaunce waide His life was nigh vnto deaths doore yplast And thred-bare cote and cobled shoes he ware Ne scarse good morsell all his life did tast But both from backe and belly still did spare To fill his bags and richesse to compare Yet chylde ne kinsman liuing had he none To leaue them to but thorough daily care To get and nightly feare to lose his owne He led a wretched life vnto him selfe vnknowne Most wretched wight whom nothing might suffise Whose greedy lust did lacke in greatest store Whose need had end but no end couetise Whose wealth was want whose plēty made him pore Who had enough yet wished euer more A vile disease and eke in foote and hand A grieuous gout tormented him full sore That well he could not touch nor go nor stand Such one was Auarice the fourth of this faire band And next to him malicious Enuie rode Vpon a rauenous wolfe and still did chaw Betweene his cankred teeth a venemous tode That all the poison ran about his chaw But inwardly he chawed his owne maw At neighbours wealth that made him euer sad For death it was when any good he saw And wept that cause of weeping none he had But when he heard of harme he wexed wondrous glad All in a kirtle of discolourd say He clothed was ypainted full of eyes And in his bosome secretly there lay An hatefull Snake the which his taile vptyes In many folds and mortall sting implyes Still as he rode he gnasht his teeth to see Those heapes of gold with griple Couetyse And grudged at the great felicitie Of proud Lucifera and his owne companie He hated all good workes and vertuous deeds And him no lesse that any like did vse And who with gracious bread the hungry feeds His almes for want of faith he doth accuse So euery good to bad he doth abuse And eke the verse of famous Poets witt He does backebite and spightfull poison spues From leprous mouth on all that euer writt Such one vile Enuie was that first in row did sitt And him beside rides fierce reuenging VVrath Vpon a Lion loth for to be led And in his hand a burning brond he hath The which he brandisheth about his hed His eyes did hurle forth sparkles fiery red And stared sterne on all that him beheld As ashes pale of hew and seeming ded And on his dagger still his hand he held Trembling through hasty rage whē choler in him sweld His ruffin raiment all was staind with blood Which he had spilt and all to rags yrent Through vnaduized rashnesse woxen wood For of his hands he had no gouernement Ne car'd for bloud in his auengement But when the furious fit was ouerpast His cruell facts he often would repent Yet wilfull man he neuer would forecast How many mischieues should ensue his heedlesse hast Full many mischiefes follow cruell VVrath Abhorred bloudshed and tumultuous strife Vnmanly murder and vnthrifty scath Bitter despight with rancours rusty knife And fretting griefe the enemy of life All these and many euils moe haunt ire The swelling Splene and Frenzy raging rife The shaking Palsey and Saint Fraunces fire Such one was VVrath the last of this vngodly tire And after all vpon the wagon beame Rode Sathan with a smarting whip in hand With which he forward lasht the laesie teme So oft as Slowth still in the mire did stand Huge routs of people did about them band Showting for ioy and still before their way A foggy mist had couered all the land And vnderneath their feet all scattered lay Dead sculs bones of men whose life had gone astray So forth they marchen in this goodly sort To take the solace of the open aire And in fresh flowring fields themselues to sport Emongst the rest rode that false Lady faire The fowle Duessa next vnto the chaire Of proud Lucifera as one of the traine But that good knight would not so nigh repaire Him selfe estraunging from their ioyaunce vaine Whose fellowship seemd far vnfit for warlike swaine So hauing solaced themselues a space With pleasaunce of the breathing fields yfed They backe returned to the Princely Place Whereas an errant knight in armes ycled And heathnish shield wherein with letters red Was writ Sans
For she is wearie of the toilesome way And also nigh consumed is the lingring day A stately Pallace built of squared bricke Which cunningly was without morter laid Whose wals were high but nothing strong nor thick And golden foile all ouer them displaid That purest skye with brightnesse they dismaid High lifted vp were many loftie towres And goodly galleries farre ouer laid Full of faire windowes and delightfull bowres And on the top a Diall told the timely howres It was a goodly heape for to behould And spake the praises of the workmans wit But full great pittie that so faire a mould Did on so weake foundation euer sit For on a sandie hill that still did flit And fall away it mounted was full hie That euery breath of heauen shaked it And all the hinder parts that few could spie Were ruinous and old but painted cunningly Arriued there they passed in forth right For still to all the gates stood open wide Yet charge of them was to a Porter hight Cald Maluenù who entrance none denide Thence to the hall which was on euery side With rich array and costly arras dight Infinite sorts of people did abide There waiting long to win the wished sight Of her that was the Lady of that Pallace bright By them they passe all gazing on them round And to the Presence mount whose glorious vew Their frayle amazed senses did confound In liuing Princes court none euer knew Such endlesse richesse and so sumptuous shew Ne Persia selfe the nourse of pompous pride Like euer saw And there a noble crew Of Lordes and Ladies stood on euery side Which with their presence faire the place much beautifide High aboue all a cloth of State was spred And a rich throne as bright as sunny day On which there sate most braue embellished With royall robes and gorgeous array A mayden Queene that shone as Titans ray In glistring gold and peerelesse pretious stone Yet her bright blazing beautie did assay To dim the brightnesse of her glorious throne As enuying her selfe that too exceeding shone Exceeding shone like Phoebus fairest childe That did presume his fathers firie wayne And flaming mouthes of steedes vnwonted wilde Through highest heauen with weaker hand to rayne Proud of such glory and aduancement vaine While flashing beames do daze his feeble eyen He leaues the welkin way most beaten plaine And rapt with whirling wheeles inflames the skyen With fire not made to burne but fairely for to shyne So proud she shyned in her Princely state Looking to heauen for earth she did disdayne And sitting high for lowly she did hate Lo vnderneath her scornefull feete was layne A dreadfull Dragon with an hideous trayne And in her hand she held a mirrhour bright Wherein her face she often vewed fayne And in her selfe-lou'd semblance tooke delight For she was wondrous faire as any liuing wight Of griesly Pluto she the daughter was And sad Proserpina the Queene of hell Yet did she thinke her pearelesse wroth to pas That parentage with pride so did she swell And thundring Ioue that high in heauen doth dwell And wield the world she claymed for her syre Or if that any else did Ioue excell For to the highest she did still aspyre Or if ought higher were then that did it desyre And proud Lucifera men did her call That made her selfe Queene and crownd to be Yet rightfull kingdome she had none at all Ne heritage of natiue soueraintie But did vsurpe with wrong and tyrannie Vpon the scepter which she now did hold Ne ruld her Realmes with lawes but pollicie And strong aduizement of six wisards old That with their counsels bad her kingdome did vphold Soone as the Elfing knight in presence came And false Duessa seeming Lady faire A gentle Husher Vanitie by name Made rowme and passage for them did prepaire So goodly brought them to the lowest staire Of her high throne where they on humble knee Making obeyssance did the cause declare Why they were come her royall state to see To proue the wide report of her great Maiestee With loftie eyes halfe loth to looke so low She thanked them in her disdainefull wise Ne other grace vouchsafed them to show Of Princesse worthy scarse them bad arise Her Lordes and Ladies all this while deuise Themselues to setten forth to straungers sight Some frounce their curled haire in courtly guise Some prancke their ruffes and others trimly dight Their gay attire each others greater pride does spight Goodly they all that knight do entertaine Right glad with him to haue increast their crew But to Duess ' each one himselfe did paine All kindnesse and faire courtesie to shew For in that court whylome her well they knew Yet the stout Faerie mongst the middest crowd Thought all their glorie vaine in knightly vew And that great Princesse too exceeding prowd That to strange knight no better countenance allowd Suddein vpriseth from her stately place The royall Dame and for her coche doth call All hurtlen forth and she with Princely pace As faire Aurora in her purple pall Out of the East the dawning day doth call So forth she comes her brightnesse brode doth blaze The heapes of people thronging in the hall Do ride each other vpon her to gaze Her glorious glitter and light doth all mens eyes amaze So forth she comes and to her coche does clyme Adorned all with gold and girlonds gay That seemd as fresh as Flora in her prime And stroue to match in royall rich array Great Iunoes golden chaire the which they say The Gods stand gazing on when she does ride To Ioues high house through heauens bras-paued way Drawne of faire Pecocks that excell in pride And full of Argus eyes their tailes dispredden wide But this was drawne of six vnequall beasts On which her six sage Counsellours did ryde Taught to obay their bestiall beheasts With like conditions to their kinds applyde Of which the first that all the rest did guyde Was sluggish Idlenesse the nourse of sin Vpon a slouthfull Asse he chose to ryde Arayd in habit blacke and amis thin Like to an holy Monck the seruice to begin And in his hand his Portesse still he bare That much was worne but therein little red For of deuotion he had little care Still drownd in sleepe and most of his dayes ded Scarse could he once vphold his heauie hed To looken whether it were night or day May seeme the wayne was very euill led When such an one had guiding of the way That knew not whether right he went or else astray From worldly cares himselfe he did esloyne And greatly shunned manly exercise For euery worke he chalenged essoyne For contemplation sake yet otherwise His life he led in lawlesse riotise By which he grew to grieuous malady For in his lustlesse limbs through euill guise A shaking feuer raignd continually Such one was Idlenesse first of this company And by his side rode loathsome Gluttony Deformed creature on a filthie swyne His belly
daintie spices fetcht from furthest Ynd To kindle heat of corage priuily And in the wine a solemne oth they bynd T' obserue the sacred lawes of armes that are assynd At last forth comes that far renowmed Queene With royall pomp and Princely maiestie She is ybrought vnto a paled greene And placed vnder stately canapee The warlike feates of both those knights to see On th' other side in all mens open vew Duessa placed is and on a tree Sans-foy his shield is hangd with bloudy hew Both those the lawrell girlonds to the victor dew A shrilling trompet sownded from on hye And vnto battaill bad them selues addresse Their shining shieldes about their wrestes they tye And burning blades about their heads do blesse The instruments of wrath and heauinesse With greedy force each other doth assayle And strike so fiercely that they do impresse Deepe dinted furrowes in the battred mayle The yron walles to ward their blowes are weake fraile The Sarazin was stout and wondrous strong And heaped blowes like yron hammers great For after bloud and vengeance he did long The knight was fiers and full of youthly heat And doubled strokes like dreaded thunders threat For all for prayse and honour he did fight Both stricken strike and beaten both do beat That from their shields forth flyeth firie light And helmets hewen deepe shew marks of eithers might So th' one for wrong the other striues for right As when a Gryfon seized of his pray A Dragon fiers encountreth in his flight Through widest ayre making his ydle way That would his rightfull rauine rend away With hideous horrour both together smight And souce so sore that they the heauens affray The wise Southsayer seeing so sad sight Th' amazed vulgar tels of warres and mortall fight So th' one for wrong the other striues for right And each to deadly shame would driue his foe The cruell steele so greedily doth bight In tender flesh that streames of bloud down flow With which the armes that earst so bright did show Into a pure vermillion now are dyde Great ruth in all the gazers harts did grow Seeing the gored woundes to gape so wyde That victory they dare not wish to either side At last the Paynim chaunst to cast his eye His suddein eye flaming with wrathfull fyre Vpon his brothers shield which hong thereby Therewith redoubled was his raging yre And said Ah wretched sonne of wofull syre Doest thou sit wayling by black Stygian lake Whilest here thy shield is hangd for victors hyre And sluggish german doest thy forces slake To after-send his foe that him may ouertake Goe caytiue Elfe him quickly ouertake And soone redeeme from his long wandring woe Goe guiltie ghost to him my message make That I his shield haue quit from dying foe Therewith vpon his crest he stroke him so That twise he reeled readie twise to fall End of the doubtfull battell deemed tho The lookers on and lowd to him gan call The false Duessa Thine the shield and I and all Soone as the Faerie heard his Ladie speake Out of his swowning dreame he gan awake And quickning faith that earst was woxen weake The creeping deadly cold away did shake Tho mou'd with wrath and shame and Ladies sake Of all attonce he cast auengd to bee And with so'exceeding furie at him strake That forced him to stoupe vpon his knee Had he not stouped so he should haue clouen bee And to him said Goe now proud Miscreant Thy selfe thy message doe to german deare Alone he wandring thee too long doth want Goe say his foe thy shield with his doth beare Therewith his heauie hand he high gan reare Him to haue slaine when loe a darkesome clowd Vpon him fell he no where doth appeare But vanisht is The Elfe him cals alowd But answer none receiues the darknes him does shrowd In haste Duessa from her place arose And to him running said O prowest knight That euer Ladie to her loue did chose Let now abate the terror of your might And quench the flame of furious despight And bloudie vengeance lo th' infernall powres Couering your foe with cloud of deadly night Haue borne him hence to Plutoes balefull bowres The conquest yours I yours the shield and glory yours Not all so satisfide with greedie eye He sought all round about his thirstie blade To bath in bloud of faithlesse enemy Who all that while lay hid in secret shade He standes amazed how he thence should fade At last the trumpets Triumph sound on hie And running Heralds humble homage made Greeting him goodly with new victorie And to him brought the shield the cause of enmitie Wherewith he goeth to that soueraine Queene And falling her before on lowly knee To her makes present of his seruice seene Which she accepts with thankes and goodly gree Greatly aduauncing his gay cheualree So marcheth home and by her takes the knight Whom all the people follow with great glee Shouting and clapping all their hands on hight That all the aire it fils and flyes to heauen bright Home is he brought and laid in sumptuous bed Where many skilfull leaches him abide To salue his hurts that yet still freshly bled In wine and oyle they wash his woundes wide And softly can embalme on euery side And all the while most heauenly melody About the bed sweet musicke did diuide Him to beguile of griefe and agony And all the while Duessa wept full bitterly As when a wearie traueller that strayes By muddy shore of broad seuen-mouthed Nile Vnweeting of the perillous wandring wayes Doth meet a cruell craftie Crocodile Which in false griefe hyding his harmefull guile Doth weepe full sore and sheddeth tender teares The foolish man that pitties all this while His mournefull plight is swallowd vp vnwares Forgetfull of his owne that mindes anothers cares So wept Duessa vntill euentide That shyning lampes in Ioues high house were light Then forth she rose ne lenger would abide But comes vnto the place where th'Hethen knight In slombring swownd nigh voyd of vitall spright Lay couer'd with inchaunted cloud all day Whom when she found as she him left in plight To wayle his woefull case she would not stay But to the easterne coast of heauen makes speedy way Where griesly Night with visage deadly sad That Phoebus chearefull face durst neuer vew And in a foule blacke pitchie mantle clad She findes forth comming from her darkesome mew Where she all day did hide her hated hew Before the dore her yron charet stood Alreadie harnessed for iourney new And coleblacke steedes yborne of hellish brood That on their rustie bits did champ as they were wood Who when she saw Duessa sunny bright Adornd with gold and iewels shining cleare She greatly grew amazed at the sight And th'vnacquainted light began to feare For neuer did such brightnesse there appeare And would haue backe retyred to her caue Vntill the witches speech she gan to heare Saying yet ô thou dreaded Dame I craue Abide till I
rash Syre began to rend His haire and hastie tongue that did offend Tho gathering vp the relicks of his smart By Dianes meanes who was Hippolyts frend Them brought to Aesculape that by his art Did heale them all againe and ioyned euery part Such wondrous science in mans wit to raine When Ioue auizd that could the dead reuiue And fates expired could renew againe Of endlesse life he might him not depriue But vnto hell did thrust him downe aliue With flashing thunderbolt ywounded sore Where long remaining he did alwaies striue Himselfe with salues to health for to restore And slake the heauenly fire that raged euermore There auncient Night arriuing did alight From her high wearie waine and in her armes To Aesculapius brought the wounded knight Whom hauing softly disarayd of armes Tho gan to him discouer all his harmes Beseeching him with prayer and with praise If either salues or oyles or herbes or charmes A fordonne wight from dore of death mote raise He would at her request prolong her nephews daies Ah Dame quoth he thou temptest me in vaine To dare the thing which daily yet I rew And the old cause of my continued paine With like attempt to like end to renew Is not enough that thrust from heauen dew Here endlesse penance for one fault I pay But that redoubled crime with vengeance new Thou biddest me to eeke Can Night defray The wrath of thundring Ioue that rules both night and day Not so quoth she but sith that heauens king From hope of heauen hath thee excluded quight Why fearest thou that canst not hope for thing And fearest not that more thee hurten might Now in the powre of euerlasting Night Goe to then ô thou farre renowmed sonne Of great Apollo shew thy famous might In medicine that else hath to thee wonne Great paines greater praise both neuer to be donne Her words preuaild And then the learned leach His cunning hand gan to his wounds to lay And all things else the which his art did teach Which hauing seene from thence arose away The mother of dread darknesse and let stay Aueugles sonne there in the leaches cure And backe returning tooke her wonted way To runne her timely race whilst Phoebus pure In westerne waues his wearie wagon did recure The false Duessa leauing noyous Night Returnd to stately pallace of dame Pride Where when she came she found the Faery knight Departed thence albe his woundes wide Not throughly heald vnreadie were to ride Good cause he had to hasten thence away For on a day his wary Dwarfe had spide Where in a dongeon deepe huge numbers lay Of caytiue wretched thrals that wayled night and day A ruefull sight as could be seene with eie Of whom he learned had in secret wise The hidden cause of their captiuitie How mortgaging their liues to Couetise Through wastfull Pride and wanton Riotise They were by law of that proud Tyrannesse Prouokt with VVrath and Enuies false surmise Condemned to that Dongeon mercilesse Where they should liue in woe die in wretchednesse There was that great proud king of Babylon That would compell all nations to adore And him as onely God to call vpon Till through celestiall doome throwne out of dore Into an Oxe he was transform'd of yore There also was king Craesus that enhaunst His heart too high through his great riches store And proud Antiochus the which aduaunst His cursed hand gainst God and on his altars daunst And them long time before great Nimrod was That first the world with sword and fire warrayd And after him old Ninus farre did pas In princely pompe of all the world obayd There also was that mightie Monarch layd Low vnder all yet aboue all in pride That name of natiue syre did fowle vpbrayd And would as Ammons sonne be magnifide Till scornd of God and man a shamefull death he dide All these together in one heape were throwne Like carkases of beasts in butchers stall And in another corner wide were strowne The antique ruines of the Romaines fall Great Romulus the Grandsyre of them all Proud Tarquin and too lordly Lentulus Stout Scipio and stubborne Hanniball Ambitious Sylla and sterne Marius High Caesar great Pompey and fierce Antonius Amongst these mighty men were wemen mixt Proud wemen vaine forgetfull of their yoke The bold Semiramis whose sides transfixt With sonnes owne blade her fowle reproches spoke Faire Sthenoboea that her selfe did choke With wilfull cord for wanting of her will High minded Cleopatra that with stroke Of Aspes sting her selfe did stoutly kill And thousands moe the like that did that dongeon fill Besides the endlesse routs of wretched thralles Which thither were assembled day by day From all the world after their wofull falles Through wicked pride and wasted wealthes decay But most of all which in the Dongeon lay Fell from high Princes courts or Ladies bowres Where they in idle pompe or wanton play Consumed had their goods and thriftlesse howres And lastly throwne themselues into these heauy stowres Whose case when as the carefull Dwarfe had tould And made ensample of their mournefull sight Vnto his maister he no lenger would There dwell in perill of like painefull plight But early rose and ere that dawning light Discouered had the world to heauen wyde He by a priuie Posterne tooke his flight That of no enuious eyes he mote be spyde For doubtlesse death ensewd if any him descryde Scarse could he footing find in that fowle way For many corses like a great Lay-stall Of murdred men which therein strowed lay Without remorse or decent funerall Which all through that great Princesse pride did fall And came to shamefull end And them beside Forth ryding vnderneath the castell wall A donghill of dead carkases he spide The dreadfull spectacle of that sad house of Pride Cant. VI. From lawlesse lust by wondrous grace fayre Vna is releast Whom saluage nation does adore and learnes her wise beheast AS when a ship that flyes faire vnder saile An hidden rocke escaped hath vnwares That lay in waite her wrack for to bewaile The Marriner yet halfe amazed stares At perill past and yet it doubt ne dares To ioy at his foole-happie ouersight So doubly is distrest twixt ioy and cares The dreadlesse courage of this Elfin knight Hauing escapt so sad ensamples in his sight Yet sad he was that his too hastie speed The faire Duess ' had forst him leaue behind And yet more sad that Vna his deare dreed Her truth had staind with treason so vnkind Yet crime in her could neuer creature find But for his loue and for her owne selfe sake She wandred had from one to other Ynd Him for to seeke ne euer would forsake Till her vnwares the fierce Sansloy did ouertake Who after Archimagoes fowle defeat Led her away into a forrest wilde And turning wrathfull fire to lustfull heat With beastly sin thought her to haue defilde And made the vassall of his pleasures vilde Yet first he cast by
gronings often tore Her guiltlesse garments and her golden heare For pitty of his paine and anguish sore Yet all with patience wisely she did beare or well she wist his crime could else be neuer cleare Whom thus recouer'd by wise Patience And trew Repentance they to Vna brought Who ioyous of his cured conscience Him dearely kist and fairely eke besought Himselfe to chearish and consuming thought To put away out of his carefull brest By this Charissa late in child-bed brought Was woxen strong and left her fruitfull nest To her faire Vna brought this vnacquainted guest He was a woman in her freshest age Of wondrous beauty and of bountie rare With goodly grace and comely personage That was on earth not easie to compare Full of great loue but Cupids wanton snare As hell she hated chast in worke and will Her necke and breasts were euer open bare That ay thereof her babes might sucke their fill The rest was all in yellow robes arayed still A multitude of babes about her hong Playing their sports that ioyd her to behold Whom still she fed whiles they were weake young But thrust them forth still as they wexed old And on her head she wore a tyre of gold Adornd with gemmes and owches wondrous faire Whose passing price vneath was to be told And by her side there sate a gentle paire Of turtle doues she sitting in an yuorie chaire The knight and Vna entring faire her greet And bid her ioy of that her happie brood Who them requites with court'sies seeming meet And entertaines with friendly chearefull mood Then Vna her besought to be so good As in her vertuous rules to schoole her knight Now after all his torment well withstood In that sad house of Penaunce where his spright Had past the paines of hell and long enduring night She was right ioyous of her iust request And taking by the hand that Faeries sonne Gan him instruct in euery good behest Of loue and righteousnesse and well to donne And wrath and hatred warely to shonne That drew on men Gods hatred and his wrath And many soules in dolours had fordonne In which when him she well instructed hath From thence to heauen she teacheth him the ready path Wherein his weaker wandring steps to guide An auncient matrone she to her does call Whose sober lookes her wisedome well descride Her name was Mercie well knowne ouer all To be both gratious and eke liberall To whom the carefull charge of him she gaue To lead aright that he should neuer fall In all his wayes through this wide worldes waue That Mercy in the end his righteous soule might saue The godly Matrone by the hand him beares Forth from her presence by a narrow way Scattred with bushy thornes and ragged breares Which still before him she remou'd away That nothing might his ready passage stay And euer when his feet encombred were Organ to shrinke or from the right to stray She held him fast and firmely did vpbeare As carefull Nourse her child from falling oft does reare Eftsoones vnto an holy Hospitall That was fore by the way she did him bring In which seuen Bead-men that had vowed all Their life to seruice of high heauens king Did spend their dayes in doing godly thing There gates to all were open euermore That by the wearie way were traueiling And one sate wayting euer them before To call in-commers by that needy were and pore The first of them that eldest was and best Of all the house had charge and gouernement As Guardian and Steward of the rest His office was to giue entertainement And lodging vnto all that came and went Not vnto such as could him feast againe And double quite for that he on them spent But such as want of harbour did constraine Those for Gods sake his dewty was to entertaine The second was as Almner of the place His office was the hungry for to feed And thristy giue to drinke a worke of grace He feard not once him selfe to be in need Ne car'd to hoord for those whom he did breede The grace of God he layd vp still in store Which as a stocke he left vnto his seede He had enough what need him care for more And had he lesse yet some he would giue to the pore The third had of their wardrobe custodie In which were not rich tyres nor garments gay The plumes of pride and wings of vanitie But clothes meet to keepe keene could away And naked nature seemely to aray With which bare wretched wights he dayly clad The images of God in earthly clay And if that no spare cloths to giue he had His owne coate he would cut and it distribute glad The fourth appointed by his office was Poore prisoners to relieue with gratious ayd And captiues to redeeme with price of bras From Turkes and Sarazins which them had stayd And though they faultie were yet well he wayd That God to vs forgiueth euery howre Much more then that why they in bands were layd And he that harrowd hell with heauie stowre The faultie soules from thence brought to his heauenly bowre The fift had charge sicke persons to attend And comfort those in point of death which lay For them most needeth comfort in the end When sin and hell and death do most dismay The feeble soule departing hence away All is but lost that liuing we bestow If not well ended at our dying day O man haue mind of that last bitter throw For as the tree does fall so lyes it euer low The sixt had charge of them now being dead In seemely sort their corses to engraue And deck with dainty flowres their bridall bed That to their heauenly spouse both sweet and braue They might appeare when he their soules shall saue The wondrous workemanship of Gods owne mould Whose face he made all beasts to feare and gaue All in his hand euen dead we honour should Ah dearest God me graunt I dead be not defould The seuenth now after death and buriall done Had charge the tender Orphans of the dead And widowes ayd least they should be vndone In face of iudgement he their right would plead Ne ought the powre of mighty men did dread In their defence nor would for gold or fee Be wonne their rightfull causes downe to tread And when they stood in most necessitee He did supply their want and gaue them euer free There when the Elfin knight arriued was The first and chiefest of the seuen whose care Was guests to welcome towardes him did pas Where seeing Mercie that his steps vp bare And alwayes led to her with reuerence rare He humbly louted in meeke lowlinesse And seemely welcome for her did prepare For of their order she was Patronesse Albe Charissa were their chiefest founderesse There she awhile him stayes him selfe to rest That to the rest more able he might bee During which time in euery good behest And godly worke of Almes and charitee She him instructed with
As if their soules they would attonce haue rent Out of their brests that streames of bloud did rayle Adowne as if their springs of life were spent That all the ground with purple bloud was sprent And all their armours staynd with bloudie gore Yet scarcely once to breath would they relent So mortall was their malice and so sore Become of fayned friendship which they vow'd afore And that which is for Ladies most besitting To stint all strife and foster friendly peace Was from those Dames so farre and so vnfitting As that in stead of praying them surcease They did much more their cruelty encrease Bidding them fight for honour of their loue And rather die then Ladies cause release With which vaine termes so much they did thē moue That both resolu'd the last extremities to proue There they I weene would fight vntill this day Had not a Squire euen he the Squire of Dames By great aduenture trauelled that way Who seeing both bent to so bloudy games And both of old well knowing by their names Drew nigh to weete the cause of their debate And first laide on those Ladies thousand blames That did not fseke t' appease their deadly hate But gazed on their harmes not pittying their estate And then those Knights he humbly did beseech To stay their hands till he a while had spoken Who lookt a little vp at that his speech Yet would not let their battell so be broken Both greedie fiers on other to be wroken Yet he to them so earnestly did call And them coniur'd by some well knowen token That they at last their wrothfull hands let fall Content to heare him speake and glad to rest withall First he desir'd their cause of strife to see They said it was for loue of Florimell Ah gentle knights quoth he how may that bee And she so farre astray as none can tell Fond Squire full angry then sayd Paridell Seest not the Ladie there before thy face He looked backe and her aduizing well Weend as he said by that her outward grace That fayrest Florimell was present there in place Glad man was he to see that ioyous sight For none aliue but ioy'd in Florimell And lowly to her lowting thus behight Fayrest of faire that fairenesse doest excell This happie day I haue to greete you well In which you safe I see whom thousand late Misdoubted lost through mischiefe that befell Long may you liue in health and happie state She litle answer'd him but lightly did aggrate Then turning to those Knights he gan a new And you Sir Blandamour and Paridell That for this Ladie present in your vew Haue rays'd this cruell warre and outrage fell Certes me seemes bene not aduised well But rather ought in friendship for her sake To ioyne your force their forces to repell That seeke perforce her from you both to take And of your gotten spoyle their owne triumph to make Thereat Sir Blandamour with countenance sterne All full of wrath thus fiercely him bespake A read thou Squire that I the man may learne That dare fro me thinke Florimell to take Not one quoth he but many doe partake Herein as thus It lately so befell That Satyran a girdle did vptake Well knowne to appertaine to Florimell Which for her sake he wore as him beseemed well But when as she her selfe was lost and gone Full many knights that loued her like deare Thereat did greatly grudge that he alone That lost faire Ladies ornament should weare And gan therefore close spight to him to beare Which he to shun and stop vile enuies sting Hath lately caus'd to be proclaim'd each where A solemne feast with publike turneying To which all knights with them their Ladies are to bring And of them all she that is fayrest found Shall haue that golden girdle for reward And of those Knights who is most stout on ground Shall to that fairest Ladie be prefard Since therefore she her selfe is now your ward To you that ornament of hers pertaines Against all those that chalenge it to gard And saue her honour with your ventrous paines That shall you win more glory then ye here find gaines When they the reason of his words had hard They gan abate the rancour of their rage And with their honours and their loues regard The furious flames of malice to asswage Tho each to other did his faith engage Like faithfull friends thenceforth to ioyne in one With all their force and battell strong to wage Gainst all those knights as their professed fone That chaleng'd ought in Florimell saue they alone So well accorded forth they rode together In friendly sort that lasted but a while And of all old dislikes they made faire weather Yet all was forg'd and spred with golden foyle That vnder it hidde hate and hollow guyle Ne certes can that friendship long endure How euer gay and goodly be the style That doth ill cause or euill end enure For vertue is the band that bindeth harts most sure Thus as they marched all in close disguise Of fayned loue they chaunst to ouertake Two knights that lincked rode in louely wise As if they secret counsels did partake And each not farre behinde him had his make To weete two Ladies of most goodly hew That twixt themselues did gentle purpose make Vnmindfull both of that discordfull crew The which with speedie pace did after them pursew Who as they now approched nigh at hand Deeming them doughtie as they did apeare They sent that Squire afore to vnderstand What mote they be who viewing them more neare Returned readie newes that those same weare Two of the prowest Knights in Faery lond And those two Ladies their two louers deare Couragious Cambell and stout Triamond With Canacee and Cambine linckt in louely bond Whylome as antique stories tellen vs Those two were foes the fellonest on ground And battell made the dreddest daungerous That euer shrilling trumpet did resound Though now their acts be no where to be found As that renowmed Poet them compyled With warlike numbers and Heroicke sound Dan Chaucer well of English vndefyled On Fames eternall beadroll worthie to be fyled But wicked Time that all good thoughts doth waste And workes of noblest wits to nought out weare That famous moniment hath quite defaste And robd the world of threasure endlesse deare The which mote haue enriched all vs heare O cursed Eld the cankerworme of writs How may these rimes so rude as doth appeare Hope to endure sith workes of heauenly wits Are quite deuourd and brought to nought by little bits Then pardon O most sacred happie spirit That I thy labours lost may thus reuiue And steale from thee the meede of thy due merit That none durst euer whilest thou wast aliue And being dead in vaine yet many striue Ne dare I like but through infusion sweete Of thine owne spirit which doth in me surviue I follow here the footing of thy feete That with thy meaning so I may the rather meete Cambelloes
brother did ellope streight way Who taking her from me his owne loue left astray She seeing then her selfe forsaken so Through dolorous despaire which she conceyued Into the Sea her selfe did headlong throw Thinking to haue her griefe by death bereaued But see how much her purpose was deccaued Whilest thus amidst the billowes beating of her Twixt life and death long to and fro she weaued She chaunst vnwares to light vppon this coffer Which to her in that daunger hope of life did offer The wretched mayd that earst desir'd to die When as the paine of death she tasted had And but halfe seene his vgly visnomie Gan to repent that she had beene so mad For any death to chaunge life though most bad And catching hold of this Sea-beaten chest The lucky Pylot of her passage sad After long tossing in the seas distrest Her weary barke at last vppon mine Isle did rest Where I by chaunce then wandring on the shore Did her espy and through my good endeuour From dreadfull mouth of death which threatned sore Her to haue swallow'd vp did helpe to saue her She then in recompence of that great fauour Which I on her bestowed bestowed on me The portion of that good which Fortune gaue her Together with her selfe in dowry free Both goodly portions but of both the better she Yet in this coffer which she with her brought Great threasure sithence we did finde contained Which as our owne we tooke and so it thought But this same other Damzell since hath fained That to her selfe that threasure appertained And that she did transport the same by sea To bring it to her husband new ordained But suffred cruell shipwracke by the way But whether it be so or no I can not say But whether it indeede be so or no This doe I say that what so good or ill Or God or Fortune vnto me did throw Not wronging any other by my will I hold mine owne and so will hold it still And though my land he first did winne away And then my loue though now it little skill Yet my good lucke he shall not likewise pray But I will it defend whilst euer that I may So hauing sayd the younger did ensew Full true it is what so about our land My brother here declared hath to you But not for it this ods twixt vs doth stand But for this threasure throwne vppon his strand Which well I proue as shall appeare by triall To be this maides with whom I fastned hand Known by good markes and perfect good espiall Therefore it ought be rendred her without deniall When they thus ended had the Knight began Certes your strife were easie to accord Would ye remit it to some righteous man Vnto your selfe said they we giue our word To bide what iudgement ye shall vs afford Then for assuraunce to my doome to stand Vnder my foote let each lay downe his sword And then you shall my sentence vnderstand So each of them layd downe his sword out of his hand Then Artegall thus to the younger sayd Now tell me Amidas if that ye may Your brothers land the which the sea hath layd Vnto your part and pluckt from his away By what good right doe you withhold this day What other right quoth he should you esteeme But that the sea it to my share did lay Your right is good sayd he and so I deeme That what the sea vnto you sent your own should seeme Then turning to the elder thus he sayd Now Bracidas let this likewise be showne Your brothers threasure which from him is strayd Being the dowry of his wife well knowne By what right doe you claime to beyour owne What other right quoth he should you esteeme But that the sea hath it vnto me throwne Your right is good sayd he and so I deeme That what the sea vnto you sent your own should seeme For equall right in equall things doth stand For what the mighty Sea hath once possest And plucked quite from all possessors hand Whether by rage of waues that neuer rest Or else by wracke that wretches hath distrest He may dispose by his imperiall might As thing at randon left to whom he list So Amidas the land was yours first hight And so the threasure yours is Bracidas by right When he his sentence thus pronounced had Both Amidas and Philtra were displeased But Bracidas and Lucy were right glad And on the threasure by that iudgement seased So was their discord by this doome appeased And each one had his right Then Artegall When as their sharpe contention he had ceased Departed on his way as did befall To follow his old quest the which him forth did call So as he trauelled vppon the way He chaunst to come where happily he spide A rout of many people farre away To whom his course he hastily applide To weete the cause of their assemblaunce wide To whom when he approched neare in sight An vncouth sight he plainely then descride To be a troupe of women warlike dight With weapons in their hands as ready for to fight And in the midst of them he saw a Knight With both his hands behinde him pinnoed hard And round about his necke an halter tight As ready for the gallow tree prepard His face was couered and his head was bar'd That who he was vneath was to descry And with full heauy heart with them he far'd Grieu'd to the soule and groning inwardly That he of womens hands so base a death should dy But they like tyrants mercilesse the more Reioyced at his miserable case And him reuiled and reproched sore With bitter taunts and termes of vile disgrace Now when as Artegall arriu'd in place Did aske what cause brought that man to decay They round about him gan to swarme apace Meaning on him their cruell hands to lay And to haue wrought vnwares some villanous assay But he was soone aware of their ill minde And drawing backe deceiued their intent Yet though him selfe did shame on womankinde His mighty hand to shend he Talus sent To wrecke on them their follies hardyment Who with few sowces of his yron flale Dispersed all their troupe incontinent And sent them home to tell a piteous tale Of their vaine prowesse turned to their proper bale But that same wretched man ordaynd to die They left behind them glad to be so quit Him Talus tooke out of perplexitie And horrour of fowle death for Knight vnfit Who more then losse of life ydreaded it And him restoring vnto liuing light So brought vnto his Lord where he did sit Beholding all that womanish weake fight Whom soone as he beheld he knew and thus behight Sir Turpine haplesse man what make you here Or haue you lost your selfe and your discretion That euer in this wretched case ye were Or haue ye yeelded you to proude oppression Of womens powre that boast of mens subiection Or else what other deadly dismall day Is falne on you by
time the warlike Amazon Whose wandring fancie after lust did raunge Gan cast a secret liking to this captiue straunge Which long concealing in her couert brest She chaw'd the cud of louers carefull plight Yet could it not so thoroughly digest Being fast fixed in her wounded spright But it tormented her both day and night Yet would she not thereto yeeld free accord To serue the lowly vassall of her might And of her seruant make her souerayne Lord So great her pride that she such basenesse much abhord So much the greater still her anguish grew Through stubborne handling of her loue-sicke hart And still the more she stroue it to subdew The more she still augmented her owne smart And wyder made the wound of th'hidden dart At last when long she struggled had in vaine She gan to stoupe and her proud mind conuert To meeke obeysance of loues mightie raine And him entreat for grace that had procur'd her paine Vnto her selfe in secret she did call Her nearest handmayd whom she most did trust And to her said Clarinda whom of all I trust a liue sith I thee fostred first Now is the time that I vntimely must Thereof make tryall in my greatest need It is so hapned that the heauens vniust Spighting my happie freedome haue agreed To thrall my looser life or my last bale to breed With that she turn'd her head as halfe abashed To hide the blush which in her visage rose And through her eyes like sudden lightning flashed Decking her cheeke with a vermilion rose But soone she did her countenance compose And to her turning thus began againe This griefes deepe wound I would to thee disclose Thereto compelled through hart-murdring paine But dread of shame my doubtfull lips doth still restraine Ah my deare dread said then the faithfull Mayd Can dread of ought your dreadlesse hart withhold That many hath with dread of death dismayd And dare euen deathes most dreadfull face behold Say on my souerayne Ladie and be bold Doth not your handmayds life at your foot lie Therewith much comforted she gan vnfold The cause of her conceiued maladie As one that would confesse yet faine would it denie Clarin sayd she thou seest yond Fayry Knight Whom not my valour but his owne braue mind Subiected hath to my vnequall might What right is it that he should thraldome find For lending life to me a wretch vnkind That for such good him recompence with ill Therefore I cast how I may him vnbind And by his freedome get his free goodwill Yet so as bound to me he may continue still bound vnto me but not with such hard bands Of strong compulsion and streight violence As now in miserable state he stands But with sweet loue and sure beneuolence Voide of malitious mind or foule offence To which if thou canst win him any way Without discouerie of my thoughts pretence Both goodly meede of him it purchase may And eke with gratefull seruice me right well apay Which that thou mayst the better bring to pas Loe here this ring which shall thy warrant bee And token true to old Eumenias From time to time when thou it best shalt see That in and out thou mayst haue passage free Goe now Clarinda well thy wits aduise And all thy forces gather vnto thee Armies of louely lookes and speeches wise With which thou canst euen Ioue himselfe to loue entise The trustie Mayd conceiuing her intent Did with sure promise of her good indeuour Giue her great comfort and some harts content So from her parting she thenceforth did labour By all the meanes she might to curry fauour With th'Elfin Knight her Ladies best beloued With daily shew of courteous kind behauiour Euen at the markewhite of his hart she roued And with wide glauncing words one day she thus him proued Vnhappie Knight vpon whose hopelesse state Fortune enuying good hath felly frowned And cruell heauens haue heapt an heauy fate I rew that thus thy better dayes are drowned In sad despaire and all thy senses swowned In stupid sorow sith thy iuster merit Might else haue with felicitie bene crowned Looke vp at last and wake thy dulled spirit To thinke how this long death thou mightest disinherit Much did he maruell at her vncouth speach Whose hidden drift he could not well perceiue And gan to doubt least she him sought t'appeach Of treason or some guilefull traine did weaue Through which she might his wretched life bereaue Both which to barre he with this answere met her Faire Damzell that with ruth as I perceaue Of my mishaps art mou'd to wish me better For such your kind regard I can but rest your detter Yet weet ye well that to a courage great It is no lesse beseeming well to beare The storme of fortunes frowne or heauens threat Then in the sunshine of her countenance cleare Timely to ioy and carrie comely cheare For though this cloud haue now me ouercast Yet doe I not of better times despeyre And though vnlike they should for euer last Yet in my truthes assurance I rest fixed fast But what so stonie mind she then replyde But if in his owne powre occasion lay Would to his hope a windowe open wyde And to his fortunes helpe make readie way Vnworthy sure quoth he of better day That will not take the offer of good hope And eke pursew if he attaine it may Which speaches she applying to the scope Of her intent this further purpose to him shope Then why doest not thou ill aduized man Make meanes to win thy libertie forlorne And try if thou by faire entreatie can Moue Radigund who though she still haue worne Her dayes in warre yet weet thou was not borne Of Beares and Tygres nor so saluage mynded As that albe all loue of men she scorne She yet forgets that she of men was kynded And sooth oft seene that proudest harts base loue hath blynded Certes Clarinda not of cancred will Sayd he nor obstinate disdainefull mind I haue forbore this duetie to fulfill For well I may this weene by that I fynd That she a Queene and come of Princely kynd Both worthie is for to be sewd vnto Chiefely by him whose life her law doth bynd And eke of powre her owne doome to vndo And al 's of princely grace to be inclyn'd thereto But want of meanes hath bene mine onely let From seeking fauour where it doth abound Which if I might by your good office get I to your selfe should rest for euer bound And readie to deserue what grace I found She feeling him thus bite vpon the bayt Yet doubting least his hold was but vnsound And not well fastened would not strike him strayt But drew him on with hope fit leasure to awayt But foolish Mayd whyles heedlesse of the hooke She thus oft times was beating off and on Through slipperie footing fell into the brooke And there was caught to her confusion For seeking thus to salue the Amazon She wounded was with her deceipts owne
And them repaide againe with double more So long they fought that all the grassie flore Was fild with bloud which from their sides did flow And gushed through their armes that all in gore They trode and on the ground their liues did strow Like fruitles seede of which vntimely death should grow At last proud Radigund with fell despight Hauing by chaunce espide aduantage neare Let driue at her with all her dreadfull might And thus vpbrayding said This token beare Vnto the man whom thou doest loue so deare And tell him for his sake thy life thou gauest Which spitefull words she sore engrieu'd to heare Thus answer'd Lewdly thou my loue deprauest Who shortly must repent that now so vainely brauest Nath'lesse that stroke so cruell passage found That glauncing on her shoulder plate it bit Vnto the bone and made a griesly wound That she her shield through raging smart of it Could scarse vphold yet soone she it requit For hauing force increast through furious paine She her so rudely on the helmet smit That it empierced to the very braine And her proud person low prostrated on the plaine Where being layd the wrothfull Britonesse Stayd not till she came to her selfe againe But in reuenge both of her loues distresse And her late vile reproch though vaunted vaine And also of her wound which sore did paine She with one stroke both head and helmet cleft Which dreadfull sight when all her warlike traine There present saw each one of sence bereft Fled fast into the towne and her sole victor left But yet so fast they could not home retrate But that swift Talus did the formost win And pressing through the preace vnto the gate Pelmell with them attonce did enter in There then a piteous slaughter did begin For all that euer came within his reach He with his yron flale did thresh so thin That he no worke at all left for the leach Like to an hideous storme which nothing may empeach And now by this the noble Conqueresse Her selfe came in her glory to partake Where though reuengefull vow she did professe Yet when she saw the heapes which he did make Of slaughtred carkasses her heart did quake For very ruth which did it almost riue That she his fury willed him to slake For else he sure had left not one aliue But all in his reuenge of spirite would depriue Tho when she had his execution stayd She for that yron prison did enquire In which her wretched loue was captiue layd Which breaking open with indignant ire She entred into all the partes entire Where when she saw that lothly vncouth sight Of men disguiz'd in womanishe attire Her heart gan grudge for very deepe despight Of so vnmanly maske in misery misdight At last when as to her owne Loue she came Whom like disguize no lesse deformed had At sight thereof abasht with secrete shame She turnd her head aside as nothing glad To haue beheld a spectacle so bad And then too well beleeu'd that which tofore Iealous suspect as true vntruely drad Which vaine conceipt now nourishing no more She sought with ruth to salue his sad misfortunes sore Not so great wonder and astonishment Did the most chast Penelope possesse To see her Lord that was reported drent And dead long since in dolorous distresse Come home to her in piteous wretchednesse After long trauell of full twenty yeares That she knew not his fauours likelynesse For many scarres and many hoary heares But stood long staring on him mongst vncertaine feares Ah my deare Lord what sight is this quoth she What May-game hath misfortune made of you Where is that dreadfull manly looke where be Those mighty palmes the which ye wont t'embrew In bloud of Kings and great hoastes to subdew Could ought on earth so wondrous change haue wrought As to haue robde you of that manly hew Could so great courage stouped haue to ought Then farewell fleshly force I see thy pride is nought Thenceforth she streight into a bowre him brought And causd him those vncomely weedes vndight And in their steede for other rayment sought Whereof there was great store and armors bright Which had bene reft from many a noble Knight Whom that proud Amazon subdewed had Whilest Fortune fauourd her successe in fight In which when as she him anew had clad She was reuiu'd and ioyd much in his semblance glad So there a while they afterwards remained Him to refresh and her late wounds to heale During which space she there as Princes rained And changing all that forme of common weale The liberty of women did repeale Which they had long vsurpt and them restoring To mens subiection did true Iustice deale That all they as a Goddesse her adoring Her wisedome did admire and hearkned to her loring For all those Knights which long in captiue shade Had shrowded bene she did from thraldome free And magistrates of all that city made And gaue to them great liuing and large fee And that they should for euer faithfull bee Made them sweare fealty to Artegall Who when him selfe now well recur'd did see He purposd to proceed what so be fall Vppon his first aduenture which him forth did call Full sad and sorrowfull was Britomart For his departure her new cause of griefe Yet wisely moderated her owne smart Seeing his honor which she tendred chiefe Consisted much in that aduentures priefe The care whereof and hope of his successe Gaue vnto her great comfort and reliefe That womanish complaints she did represse And tempred for the time her present heauinesse There she continued for a certaine space Till through his want her woe did more increase Then hoping that the change of aire and place Would change her paine and sorrow somewhat ease She parted thence her anguish to appease Meane while her noble Lord sir Artegall Went on his way ne euer howre did cease Till he redeemed had that Lady thrall That for another Canto will more fitly fall Cant. VIII Prince Arthure and Sir Artegall Free Samient from feare They slay the Soudan driue his wife A dicia to despaire NOught vnder heauen so strongly doth allure The sence of man and all his minde possesse As beauties lonely baite that doth procure Great warriours oft their rigour to represse And mighty hands forget their manlinesse Drawne with the powre of an heart-robbing eye And wrapt in fetters of a golden tresse That can with melting pleasaunce mollifye Their hardned hearts enur'd to bloud and cruelty So whylome learnd that mighty Iewish swaine Each of whose lockes did match a man in might To lay his spoiles before his lemans traine So also did that great Octean Knight For his loues sake his Lions skin vndight And so did warlike Antony neglect The worlds whole rule for Cleopatras sight Such wondrous powre hath wemens faire aspect To captiue men and make them all the world reiect Yet could it not sterne Artegall retaine Nor hold from suite of his auowed quest Which he had
their rigour they releast Ne once to breath a while their angers tempest ceast Thus long they trac'd and trauerst to and fro And tryde all waies how each mote entrance make Into the life of his malignant foe They hew'd their helmes and plates asunder brake As they had potshares bene for nought mote slake Their greedy vengeaunces but goary blood That at the last like to a purple lake Of bloudy gore congeal'd about them stood Which from their riuen sides forth gushed like a flood At length it chaunst that both their hands on hie At once did heaue with all their powre and might Thinking the vtmost of their force to trie And proue the finall fortune of the fight But Calidore that was more quicke of sight And nimbler handed then his enemie Preuented him before his stroke could light And on the helmet smote him formerlie That made him stoupe to ground with meeke humilitie And ere he could recouer foot againe He following that faire aduantage fast His stroke redoubled with such might and maine That him vpon the ground he groueling cast And leaping to him light would haue vnlast His Helme to make vnto his vengeance way Who seeing in what daunger he was plast Cryde out Ah mercie Sir doe me not slay But saue my life which lot before your foot doth lay With that his mortall hand a while he stayd And hauing somewhat calm'd his wrathfull heat With goodly patience thus he to him sayd And is the boast of that proud Ladies threat That menaced me from the field to beat Now brought to this By this now may ye learne Strangers no more so rudely to intreat But put away proud looke and vsage sterne The which shal nought to you but foule dishonor yearne For nothing is more blamefull to a knight That court'sie doth as well as armes professe How euer strong and fortunate in fight Then the reproch of pride and cruelnesse In vaine he seeketh others to suppresse Who hath not learnd him selfe first to subdew All flesh is frayle and full of ficklenesse Subiect to fortunes chance still chaunging new What haps to day to me to morrow may to you Who will not mercie vnto others shew How can he mercy euer hope to haue To pay each with his owne is right and dew Yet since ye mercie now doe need to craue I will it graunt your hopelesse life to saue With these conditions which I will propound First that ye better shall your selfe behaue Vnto all errant knights whereso on ground Next that ye Ladies ayde in euery stead and stound The wretched man that all this while did dwell In dread of death his heasts did gladly heare And promist to performe his precept well And whatsoeuer else he would requere So suffring him to rise he made him sweare By his owne sword and by the crosse thereon To take Briana for his louing fere Withouten dowre or composition But to release his former foule condition All which accepting and with faithfull oth Bynding himselfe most firmely to obay He vp arose how euer liefe or loth And swore to him true fealtie for aye Then forth he cald from sorrowfull dismay The sad Briana which all this beheld Who comming forth yet full of late affray Sir Calidore vpcheard and to her teld All this accord to which he Crudor had compeld Whereof she now more glad then sory earst All ouercome with infinite affect For his exceeding courtesie that pearst Her stubborne hart with inward deepe effect Before his feet her selfe she did proiect And him adoring as her liues deare Lord With all due thankes and dutifull respect Her selfe acknowledg'd bound for that accord By which he had to her both life and loue restord So all returning to the Castle glad Most ioyfully she them did entertaine Where goodly glee and feast to them she made To shew her thankefull mind and meaning faine By all the meanes she mote it best explaine And after all vnto Sir Calidore She freely gaue that Castle for his paine And her selfe bound to him for euermore So wondrously now chaung'd from that she was afore But Calidore himselfe would not retaine Nor land nor fee for hyre of his good deede But gaue them streight vnto that Squire againe Whom from her Seneschall he lately freed And to his damzell as their rightfull meed For recompence of all their former wrong There he remaind with them right well agreed Till of his wounds he wexed hole and strong And then to his first quest he passed forth along Cant. II. Calidore sees young Tristram slay A proud discourteous knight He makes him Squire and of him learnes his state and present plight WHat vertue is so fitting for a knight Or for a Ladie whom a knight should loue As Curtesie to beare themselues aright To all of each degree as doth behoue For whether they be placed high aboue Or low beneath yet ought they well to know Their good that none them rightly may reproue Of rudenesse for not yeelding what they owe Great skill it is such duties timely to bestow Thereto great helpe dame Nature selfe doth lend For some so goodly gratious are by kind That euery action doth them much commend And in the eyes of men great liking find Which others that haue greater skill in mind Though they enforce themselues cannot attaine For euerie thing to which one is inclin'd Doth best become and greatest grace doth gaine Yet praise likewise deserue good thewes enforst with paine That well in courteous Calidore appeares Whose euery act and deed that he did say Was like enchantment that through both the eyes And both the eares did steale the hart away He now againe is on his former way To follow his first quest when as he spyde A tall young man from thence not farre away Fighting on foot as well he him descryde Against an armed knight that did on horsebacke ryde And them beside a Ladie faire he saw Standing alone on foot in foule array To whom himselfe he hastily did draw To weet the cause of so vncomely fray And to depart them if so be he may But ere he came in place that youth had kild That armed knight that low on ground he lay Which when he saw his hart was inly child With great amazement his thought with wonder fild Him stedfastly he markt and saw to bee A goodly youth of amiable grace Yet but a slender slip that scarse did see Yet seuenteene yeares but tall and faire of face That sure he deem'd him borne of noble race All in a woodmans iacket he was clad Of lincolne greene belayd with siluer lace And on his head an hood with aglets sprad And by his side his hunters horne he hanging had Buskins he wore of costliest cordwayne Pinckt vpon gold and paled part per part As then the guize was for each gentle swayne In his right hand he held a trembling dart Whose fellow he before had sent apart And in his left he held a sharpe
ioy they new arriued find Enflam'd with fury and fiers hardy-hed He seemd in hart to harbour thoughts vnkind And nourish bloudy vengeaunce in his bitter mind Who when the shamed shield of slaine Sans foy He spide with that same Faery champions page Bewraying him that did of late destroy His eldest brother burning all with rage He to him leapt and that same enuious gage Of victors glory from him snatcht away But th' Elfin knight which ought that warlike wage Disdaind to loose the meed he wonne in fray And him rencountring fierce reskewd the noble pray Therewith they gan to hurtlen greedily Redoubted battaile ready to darrayne And clash their shields and shake their swords on hy That with their sturre they troubled all the traine Till that great Queene vpon eternall paine Of high displeasure that ensewen might Commaunded them their fury to refraine And if that either to that shield had right In equall lists they should the morrow next it fight Ah dearest Dame quoth then the Paynim bold Pardon the errour of enraged wight Whom great griefe made forget the raines to hold Of reasons rule to see this recreant knight No knight but treachour full of false despight And shamefull treason who through guile hath slayn The prowest knight that euer field did fight Euen stout Sans foy O who can then refrayn Whose shield he beares renuerst the more to heape disdayn And to augment the glorie of his guile His dearest loue the faire Fidessa loe Is there possessed of the traytour vile Who reapes the haruest sowen by his foe Sowen in bloudy field and bought with woe That brothers hand shall dearely well requight So be ô Queene you equall fauour showe Him litle answerd th' angry Elfin knight He neuer meant with words but swords to plead his right But threw his gauntlet as a sacred pledge His cause in combat the next day to try So been they parted both with harts on edge To be aueng'd each on his enimy That night they pas in ioy and iollity Feasting and courting both in bowre and hall For Steward was excessiue Gluttonie That of his plenty poured forth to all Which doen the Chamberlain Slowth did to rest them call Now whenas darkesome night had all displayd Her coleblacke curtein ouer brightest skye The warlike youthes on dayntie couches layd Did chace away sweet sleepe from sluggish eye To muse on meanes of hoped victory But whenas Morpheus had with leaden mace Arrested all that courtly company Vp-rose Duessa from her resting place And to the Paynims lodging comes with silent pace Whom broad awake she finds in troublous fit Forecasting how his foe he might annoy And him amoues with speaches seeming fit Ah deare Sans ioy next dearest to Sans foy Cause of my new griefe cause of new ioy Ioyous to see his ymage in mine eye And greeu'd to thinke how foe did him destroy That was the flowre of grace and cheualrye Lo his Fidessa to thy secret faith I flye With gentle wordes he can her fairely greet And bad say on the secret of her hart Then sighing soft I learne that litle sweet Oft tempred is quoth she with muchell smart For since my brest was launcht with louely dart Of deare Sansfoy I neuer ioyed howre But in eternall woes my weaker hart Haue wasted louing him with all my powre And for his sake haue felt full many an heauie stowre At last when perils all I weened past And hop'd to reape the crop of all my care Into new woes vnweeting I was cast By this false faytor who vnworthy ware His worthy shield whom he with guilefull snare Entrapped slew and brought to shamefull graue Me silly maid away with him he bare And euer since hath kept in darksome caue For that I would not yeeld that to Sans-foy I gaue But since faire Sunne hath sperst that lowring clowd And to my loathed life now shewes some light Vnder your beames I will me safely shrowd From dreaded storme of his disdainfull spight To you th' inheritance belongs by right Of brothers prayse to you eke longs his loue Let not his loue let not his restlesse spright Be vnreueng'd that calles to you aboue From wandring Stygian shores where it doth endlesse moue Thereto said he faire Dame be nought dismaid For sorrowes past their griefe is with them gone Ne yet of present perill be affraid For needlesse feare did neuer vantage none And helplesse hap it booteth not to mone Dead is Sans foy his vitall paines are past Though greeued ghost for vengeance deepe do grone He liues that shall him pay his dewties last And guiltie Elsin bloud shall sacrifice in hast O but I feare the fickle freakes quoth shee Of fortune false and oddes of armes in field Why dame quoth he what oddes can euer bee Where both do fight alike to win or yield Yea but quoth she he beares a charmed shield And eke enchaunted armes that none can perce Ne none can wound the man that does them wield Charmd or enchaunted answerd he then ferce I no whit reck ne you the like need to reherce But faire Fidessa sithens fortunes guile Or enimies powre hath now captiued you Returne from whence ye came and rest a while Till morrow next that I the Elfe subdew And with Sans-foyes dead dowry you endew Ay me that is a double death she said With proud foes sight my sorrow to renew Where euer yet I be my secret aid Shall follow you So passing forth she him obaid Cant. V. The faithfull knight in equall field subdewes his faithlesse foe Whom false Duessa saues and for his cure to hell does goe THe noble hart that harbours vertuous thought And is with child of glorious great intent Can neuer rest vntill it forth haue brought Th' eternall brood of glorie excellent Such restlesse passion did all night torment The flaming corage of that Faery knight Deuizing how that doughtie turnament With greatest honour he atchieuen might Still did wake and still did watch for dawning light At last the golden Orientall gate Of greatest heauen gan to open faire And Phoebus fresh as bridegrome to his mate Came dauncing forth shaking his deawie haire And hurls his glistring beames through gloomy aire Which when the wakeful Elfe perceiu'd streight way He started vp and did him selfe prepaire In sun-bright armes and battailous array For with that Pagan proud he combat will that day And forth he comes into the commune hall Where earely waite him many a gazing eye To weet what end to straunger knights may fall There many Minstrales maken melody To driue away the dull melancholy And many Bardes that to the trembling chord Can tune their timely voyces cunningly And many Chroniclers that can record Old loues and warres for Ladies doen by many a Lord. Soone after comes the cruell Sarazin In wouen maile all armed warily And sternly lookes at him who not a pin Does care for looke of liuing creatures eye They bring them wines of Greece and Araby And
when the cause of that outrageous deede Demaunded I made plaine and euident Her faultie Handmayd which that bale did breede Confest how Philemon her wrought to chaunge her weede Which when I heard with horrible affright And hellish fury all enragd I sought Vpon my selfe that vengeable despight To punish yet it better first I thought To wreake my wrath on him that first it wrought To Philemon false faytour Philemon I cast to pay that I so dearely bought Of deadly drugs I gaue him drinke anon And washt away his guilt with guiltie potion Thus heaping crime on crime and griefe on griefe To losse of loue adioyning losse of frend I meant to purge both with a third mischiefe And in my woes beginner it to end That was Pryene she did first offend She last should smart with which cruell intent When I at her my murdrous blade did bend She fled away with ghastly dreriment And I pursewing my fell purpose after went Feare gaue her wings and rage enforst my flight Through woods and plaines so long I did her chace Till this mad man whom your victorious might Hath now fast bound me met in middle space As I her so he me pursewd apace And shortly ouertooke I breathing yre Sore chauffed at my stay in such a cace And with my heat kindled his cruell fyre Which kindled once his mother did more rage inspyre Betwixt them both they haue me doen to dye Through wounds strokes stubborne handeling That death were better then such agony As griefe and furie vnto me did bring Of which in me yet stickes the mortall sting That during life will neuer be appeasd When he thus ended had his sorrowing Said Guyon Squire sore haue ye beene diseasd But all your hurts may soone through tēperance be easd Then gan the Palmer thus most wretched man That to affections does the bridle lend In their beginning they are weake and wan But soone through suff'rance grow to fearefull end Whiles they are weake betimes with them contend For when they once to perfect strength do grow Strong warres they make and cruell battry bend Gainst fort of Reason it to ouerthrow Wrath gelosie griefe loue this Squire haue layd thus low Wrath gealosie griefe loue do thus expell Wrath is a fire and gealosie a weede Griefe is a flood and loue a monster fell The fire of sparkes the weede of little seede The flood of drops the Monster filth did breede But sparks seed drops and filth do thus delay The sparks soone quench the springing seed outweed The drops dry vp and filth wipe cleane away So shall wrath gealosie griefe loue dye and decay Vnlucky Squire said Guyon sith thou hast Falne vnto mischiefe through intemperaunce Henceforth take heede of that thou now hast past And guide thy wayes with warie gouernaunce Least worse betide thee by some later chaunce But read how art thou nam'd and of what kin Phedon I hight quoth he and do aduaunce Mine auncestry from famous Coradin Who first to rayse our house to honour did begin Thus as he spake lo far away they spyde A varlet running towards hastily Whose flying feet so fast their way applyde That round about a cloud of dust did fly Which mingled all with sweate did dim his eye He soone approched panting breathlesse whot And all so soyld that none could him descry His countenaunce was bold and bashed not For Guyons lookes but scornefull eyglaunce at him shot Behind his backe he bore a brasen shield On which was drawen faire in colours fit A flaming fire in midst of bloudy field And round about the wreath this word was writ Burnt I do burne Right well beseemed it To be the shield of some redoubted knight And in his hand two darts exceeding flit And deadly sharpe he held whose heads were dight In poyson and in bloud of malice and despight When he in presence came to Guyon first He boldly spake Sir knight if knight thou bee Abandon this fore stalled place at erst For feare of further harme I counsell thee Or bide the chaunce at thine owne ieoperdie The knight at his great boldnesse wondered And though he scornd his idle vanitie Yet mildly him to purpose answered For not to grow of nought he it coniectured Varlet this place most dew to me I deeme Yielded by him that held it forcibly But whēce should come that harme which thou doest seeme To threat to him that minds his chaunce t'abye Perdy said he here comes and is hard by A knight of wondrous powre and great assay That neuer yet encountred enemy But did him deadly daunt or fowle dismay Ne thou for better hope if thou his presence stay How hight he then said Guyon and from whence Pyrrhochles is his name renowmed farre For his bold feats and hardy confidence Full oft approu'd in many a cruell warre The brother of Cymochles both which arre The sonnes of old Acrates and Despight Acrates sonne of Phlegeton and Iarre But Phlegeton is sonne of Herebus and Night But Herebus sonne of Aeternitie is hight So from immortall race he does proceede That mortall hands may not withstand his might Drad for his derring do and bloudy deed For all in bloud and spoile is his delight His am I Atin his in wrong and right That matter make for him to worke vpon And stirre him vp to strife and cruell fight Fly therefore fly this fearefull stead anon Least thy foolhardize worke thy sad confusion His be that care whom most it doth concerne Said he but whither with such hasty flight Art thou now bound for well mote I discerne Great cause that carries thee so swift and light My Lord quoth he me sent and streight behight To seeke Occasion where so she bee For he is all disposd to bloudy fight And breathes out wrath and hainous crueltie Hard is his hap that first fals in his ieopardie Madman said then the Palmer that does seeke Occasion to wrath and cause of strife She comes vnsought and shonned followes eke Happy who can abstaine when Rancour rife Kindles Reuenge and threats his rusty knife Woe neuer wants where euery cause is caught And rash Occasion makes vnquiet life Then loe where bound she fits whō thou hast sought Said Guyon let that message to thy Lord be brought That when the varlet heard and saw streight way He wexed wondrous wroth and said Vile knight That knights knighthood doest with shame vpbray And shewst th'enfāple of thy childish migbt With silly weake old woman thus to fight Great glory and gay spoile sure hast thou got And stoutly prou'd thy puissaunce here in sight That shall Pyrrhochles well requite I wot And with thy bloud abolish so reprochfull blot With that one of his thrillant darts he threw Headed with ire and vengeable despight The quiuering steele his aymed end well knew And to his brest it selfe intended right But he was warie and ere it empight In the meant marke aduaunst his shield atweene On which it seizing
did fade What is become of great Acrates sonne Or where hath he hong vp his mortall blade That hath so many haughtie conquests wonne Is all his force forlorne and all his glory donne Then pricking him with his sharpe-pointed dart He said vp vp thou womanish weake knight That here in Ladies lap entombed art Vnmindfull of thy praise and prowest might And weetlesse eke of lately wrought despight Whiles sad Pyrrhochles lies on senselesse ground And groneth out his vtmost grudging spright Through many a stroke many a streaming wound Calling thy helpe in vaine that here in ioyes art dround Suddeinly out of his delightfull dreame The man awoke and would haue questiond more But he would not endure that wofull theame For to dilate at large but vrged sore With percing words and pittifull implore Him hastie to arise As one affright With hellish feends or Furies mad vprore He then vprose inflam'd with fell despight And called for his armes for he would algates fight They bene ybrought he quickly does him dight And lightly mounted passeth on his way Ne Ladies loues ne sweete entreaties might Appease his heat or hastie passage stay For he has vowd to beene aueng'd that day That day it selfe him seemed all too long On him that did Pyrrhochles deare dismay So proudly pricketh on his courser strong And Atin aie him pricks with spurs of shame wrong Cant. VI. Guyon is of immodest Merth led into loose desire Fights with Cymochles whiles his brother burnes infurious fire A Harder lesson to learne Continence In ioyous pleasure then in grieuous paine For sweetnesse doth allure the weaker sence So strongly that vneathes it can refraine From that which feeble nature couets faine But griefe and wrath that be her enemies And foes of life she better can restraine Yet vertue vauntes in both their victories And Guyon in them all shewes goodly maisteries Whom bold Cymochles trauelling to find With cruell purpose bent to wreake on him The wrath which Atin kindled in his mind Came to a riuer by whose vtmost brim Wayting to passe he saw whereas did swim A long the shore as swift as glaunce of eye A litle Gondelay bedecked trim With boughes and arbours wouen cunningly That like a litle forrest seemed outwardly And therein sate a Ladie fresh and faire Making sweet solace to her selfe alone Sometimes she sung as loud as larke in aire Sometimes she laught that nigh her breth was gone Yet was there not with her else any one That might to her moue cause of meriment Matter of merth enough though there were none She could deuise and thousand waies inuent To feede her foolish humour and vaine iolliment Which when farre off Cymochles heard and saw He loudly cald to such as were a bord The little barke vnto the shore to draw And him to ferrie ouer that deepe ford The merry marriner vnto his word Soone hearkned and her painted bote streightway Turnd to the shore where that same warlike Lord She in receiu'd but Atin by no way She would admit albe the knight her much did pray Eftsoones her shallow ship away did slide More swift then swallow sheres the liquid skie Withouten oare or Pilot it to guide Or winged canuas with the wind to flie Only she turn'd a pin and by and by It cut away vpon the yielding waue Ne cared she her course for to apply For it was taught the way which she would haue And both from rocks and flats it selfe could wisely saue And all the way the wanton Damzell found New merth her passenger to entertaine For she in pleasant purpose did abound And greatly ioyed merry tales to faine Of which a store-house did with her remaine Yet seemed nothing well they her became For all her words she drownd with laughter vaine And wanted grace in vtt'ring of the same That turned all her pleasance to a scoffing game And other whiles vaine toyes she would deuize As her fantasticke wit did most delight Sometimes her head she fondly would aguize With gaudie girlonds or fresh flowrets dight About her necke or rings of rushes plight Sometimes to doe him laugh she would assay To laugh at shaking of the leaues light Or to behold the water worke and play About her litle frigot therein making way Her light behauiour and loose dalliaunce Gaue wondrous great contentment to the knight That of his way he had no souenaunce Nor care of vow'd reuenge and cruell fight But to weake wench did yeeld his martiall might So easie was to quench his flamed mind With one sweet drop of sensuall delight So easie is t' appease the stormie wind Of malice in the calme of pleasant womankind Diuerse discourses in their way they spent Mongst which Cymochles of her questioned Both what she was and what that vsage ment Which in her cot she daily practised Vaine man said she that wouldest be reckoned A straunger in thy home and ignoraunt Of Phaedria for so my name is red Of Phaedria thine owne fellow seruaunt For thou to serue Acrasia thy selfe doest vaunt In this wide Inland sea that hight by name The Idle lake my wandring ship I row That knowes her port and thither sailes by ayme Ne care ne feare I how the wind do blow Or whether swift I wend or whether slow Both slow and swift a like do serue my tourne Ne swelling Neptune ne loud thundring Ioue Can chaunge my cheare or make me euer mourne My litle boat can safely passe this perilous bourne Whiles thus she talked and whiles thus she toyd They were farre past the passage which he spake And come vnto an Island waste and voyd That floted in the midst of that great lake There her small Gondelay her port did make And that gay paire issuing on the shore Disburdued her Their way they forward take Into the land that lay them faire before Whose pleasaunce she him shew'd and plentifull great store It was a chosen plot of fertile land Emongst wide waues set like a litle nest As if it had by Natures cunning hand Bene choisely picked out from all the rest And laid forth for ensample of the best No daintie flowre or herbe that growes on ground No arboret with painted blossomes drest And smelling sweet but there it might be found To bud out faire and her sweet smels throw all around No tree whose braunches did not brauely spring No braunch whereon a fine bird did not sit No bird but did her shrill notes sweetly sing No song but did containe a louely dit Trees braunches birds and songs were framed fit For to allure fraile mind to carelesse ease Carelesse the man soone woxe and his weake wit Was ouercome of thing that did him please So pleased did his wrathfull purpose faire appease Thus when she had his eyes and senses fed With false delights and fild with pleasures vaine Into a shadie dale she soft him led And laid him downe vpon a grassie plaine And her sweet selfe without dread or disdaine She set
soone in vomit vp againe doth lay And belcheth forth his superfluity That all the seas for feare do seeme away to fly On th' other side an hideous Rocke is pight Of mightie Magnes stone whose craggie clift Depending from on high dreadfull to sight Ouer the waues his rugged armes doth lift And threatneth downe to throw his ragged rift On who so commeth nigh yet nigh it drawes All passengers that none from it can shift For whiles they fly that Gulfes deuouring iawes They on this rock are rent and sunck in helplesse wawes Forward they passe and strongly he them rowes Vntill they nigh vnto that Gulfe arriue Where streame more violent and greedy growes Then he with all his puissance doth striue To strike his oares and mightily doth driue The hollow vessell through the threatfull waue Which gaping wide to swallow them aliue In th'huge abysse of his engulfing graue Doth rore at them in vaine and with great terror raue They passing by that griesly mouth did see Sucking the seas into his entralles deepe That seem'd more horrible then hell to bee Or that darke dreadfull hole of Tartare steepe Through which the damned ghosts doen often creepe Backe to the world bad liuers to torment But nought that falles into this direfull deepe Ne that approcheth nigh the wide descent May backe returne but is condemned to be drent On th' other side they saw that perilous Rocke Threatning it selfe on them to ruinate On whose sharpe clifts the ribs of vessels broke And shiuered ships which had bene wrecked late Yet stuck with carkasses exanimate Of such as hauing all their subtance spent In wanton ioyes and lustes intemperate Did afterwards make shipwracke violent Both of their life and fame for euer fowly blent For thy this hight The Rocke of vile Reproch A daungerous and detestable place To which nor fish nor fowle did once approch But yelling Meawes with Seagulles hoarse and bace And Cormoyrants with birds of rauenous race Which still sate waiting on that wastfull clift For spoyle of wretches whose vnhappie cace After lost credite and consumed thrift At last them driuen hath to this despairefull drift The Palmer seeing them in safetie past Thus said behold th'ensamples in our sights Of lustfull luxurie and thriftlesse wast What now is left of miserable wights Which spent their looser daies in lewd delights But shame and sad reproch here to be red By these rent reliques speaking their ill plights Let all that liue hereby be counselled To shunne Rocke of Reproch and it as death to dred So forth they rowed and that Ferryman With his stiffe oares did brush the sea so strong That the hoare waters from his frigot ran And the light bubbles daunced all along Whiles the salt brine out of the billowes sprong At last farre off they many Islands spy On euery side floting the floods emong Then said the knight Loe I the land descry Therefore old Syre thy course do thereunto apply That may not be said then the Ferryman Least we vnweeting hap to be fordonne For those same Islands seeming now and than Are not firme lande nor any certein wonne But straggling plots which to and fro do ronne In the wide waters therefore are they hight The wandring Islands Therefore doe them shonne For they haue oft drawne many a wandring wight Into most deadly daunger and distressed plight Yet well they seeme to him that farre doth vew Both faire and fruitfull and the ground dispred With grassie greene of delectable hew And the tall trees with leaues apparelled Are deckt with blossomes dyde in white and red That mote the passengers thereto allure But whosoeuer once hath fastened His foot thereon may neuer it recure But wandreth euer more vncertein and vnsure As th' Isle of Delos whylome men report Amid th' Aegaean sea long time did stray Ne made for shipping any certaine port Till that Latona traueiling that way Flying from Iunoes wrath and hard assay Of her faire twins was there deliuered Which afterwards did rule the night and day Thenceforth it firmely was established And for Apolloes honor highly herried They to him hearken as beseemeth meete And passe on forward so their way does ly That one of those same Islands which doe fleet In the wide sea they needes must passen by Which seemd so sweet and pleasant to the eye That it would tempt a man to touchen there Vpon the banck they sitting did espy A daintie damzell dressing of her heare By whom a litle skippet floting did appeare She them espying loud to them can call Bidding them nigher draw vnto the shore For she had cause to bufie them withall And therewith loudly laught But nathemore Would they once turne but kept on as afore Which when she saw she left her lockes vndight And running to her boat withouten ore From the departing land it launched light And after them did driue with all her power and might Whom ouertaking she in merry sort Them gan to bord and purpose diuersly Now faining dalliance and wanton sport Now throwing forth lewd words immodestly Till that the Palmer gan full bitterly Her to rebuke for being loose and light Which not abiding but more scornefully Scoffing at him that did her iustly wite She turnd her bote about and from them rowed quite That was the wanton Phoedria which late Did ferry him ouer the Idle lake Whom nought regarding they kept on their gate And all her vaine allurements did forsake When them the wary Boateman thus bespake Here now behoueth vs well to auyse And of our safetie good heede to take For here before a perlous passage lyes Where many Mermayds haunt making false melodies But by the way there is a great Quicksand And a whirlepoole of hidden ieopardy Therefore Sir Palmer keepe an euen hand Scarse had he said when hard at hand they spy That quicksand nigh with water couered But by the checked waue they did descry It plaine and by the sea discoloured It called was the quicksand of Vnthriftyhed They passing by a goodly Ship did see Laden from far with precious merchandize And brauely furnished as ship might bee Which through great disauenture or mesprize Her selfe had runne into that hazardize Whose mariners and merchants with much toyle Labour'd in vaine to haue recur'd their prize And the rich wares to saue from pitteous spoyle But neither toyle nor trauell might her backe recoyle On th' other side they see that perilous Poole That called was the VVhirlepoole of decay In which full many had with haplesse doole Beene suncke of whom no memorie did stay Whose circled waters rapt with whirling sway Like to a restlesse wheele still running round Did couet as they passed by that way To draw the boate within the vtmost bound Of his wide Labyrinth and then to haue them dround But th'heedfull Boateman strongly forth did stretch His brawnie armes and all his body straine That th' vtmost sandy breach they shortly fetch Whiles the dred daunger does behind remaine Suddeine they see
his fained kindnesse did detest So firmely she had sealed vp her brest Sometimes he boasted that a God he hight But she a mortall creature loued best Then he would make himselfe a mortall wight But then she said she lou'd none but a Faerie knight Then like a Faerie knight himselfe he drest For euery shape on him he could endew Then like a king he was to her exprest And offred kingdomes vnto her in vew To be his Leman and his Ladie trew But when all this he nothing saw preuaile With harder meanes he cast her to subdew And with sharpe threates her often did assaile So thinking for to make her stubborne courage quaile To dreadfull shapes he did himselfe transforme Now like a Gyant now like to a feend Then like a Centaure then like to a storme Raging within the waues thereby he weend Her will to win vnto his wished end But when with feare nor fauour nor with all He else could doe he saw himselfe esteemd Downe in a Dongeon deepe he let her fall And threatned there to make her his eternall thrall Eternall thraldome was to her more liefe Then losse of chastitie or chaunge of loue Die had she rather in tormenting griefe Then any should of falsenesse her reproue Or loosenesse that she lightly did remoue Most vertuous virgin glory be thy meed And crowne of heauenly praise with Saints aboue Where most sweet hymmes of this thy famous deed Are still emongst them song that far my rymes exceed Fit song of Angels caroled to bee But yet what so my feeble Muse can frame Shall be t' aduance thy goodly chastitee And to enroll thy memorable name In th' heart of euery honourable Dame That they thy vertuous deedes may imitate And be partakers of thy endlesse fame It yrkes me leaue thee in this wofull state To tell of Satyrane where I him left of late Who hauing ended with that Squire of Dames A long discourse of his aduentures vaine The which himselfe then Ladies more defames And finding not th' Hyena to be slaine With that same Squire returned backe againe To his first way And as they forward went They spyde a knight faire pricking on the plaine As if he were on some aduenture bent And in his port appeared manly hardiment Sir Satyrane him towards did addresse To weet what wight he was and what his quest And comming nigh eftsoones he gan to gesse Both by the burning hart which on his brest He bare and by the colours in his crest That Paridell it was Tho to him yode And him saluting as beseemed best Gan first inquire of tydings farre abrode And afterwardes on what aduenture now he rode Who thereto answering said The tydings bad Which now in Faerie court all men do tell Which turned hath great mirth to mourning sad Is the late ruine of proud Marinell And suddein parture of faire Florimell To find him forth and after her are gone All the braue knights that doen in armes excell To sauegard her ywandred all alone Emongst the rest my lot vnworthy is to be one Ah gentle knight said then Sir Satyrane Thy labour all is lost I greatly dread That hast a thanklesse seruice on thee ta'ne And offrest sacrifice vnto the dead For dead I surely doubt thou maist aread Henceforth for euer Florimell to be That all the noble knights of Maydenhead Which her ador'd may sore repent with me And all faire Ladies may for euer sory be Which words when Paridell had heard his hew Gan greatly chaunge and seem'd dismayd to bee Then said Faire Sir how may I weene it trew That ye doe tell in such vncertaintee Or speake ye of report or did ye see Iust cause of dread that makes ye doubt so sore For perdie else how mote it euer bee That euer hand should dare for to engore Her noble bloud the heauens such crueltie abhore These eyes did see that they will euer rew T' haue seene quoth he when as a monstrous beast The Palfrey whereon she did trauell slew And of his bowels made his bloudie feast Which speaking token sheweth at the least Her certaine losse if not her sure decay Besides that more suspition encreast I found her golden girdle cast astray Distaynd with durt and bloud as relique of the pray Aye me said Paridell the signes be sad And but God turne the same to good soothsay That Ladies safetie is sore to be drad Yet will I not forsake my forward way Till triall doe more certaine truth bewray Faire Sir quoth he well may it you succeed Ne long shall Satyrane behind you stay But to the rest which in this Quest proceed My labour adde and be partaker of their speed Ye noble knights said then the Squire of Dames Well may ye speed in so praiseworthy paine But sith the Sunne now ginnes to slake his beames In deawy vapours of the westerne maine And lose the teme out of his weary waine More not mislike you also to abate Your zealous hast till morrow next againe Both light of heauen and strength of men relate Which if ye please to yonder castle turne your gate That counsell pleased well so all yfere Forth marched to a Castle them before â—here soone arriuing they restrained were Of readie entrance which ought euermore To errant knights be commun wondrous sore Thereat displeasd they were till that young Squire Gan them informe the cause why that same dore Was shut to all which lodging did desire The which to let you weet will further time require Cant. IX Malbecco will no straunge knights host For pecuish gealosie Paridell giusts with Britomart Both shew their auncestrie REdoubted knights and honorable Dames To whom I leuell all my labours end Right sore I feare least with vnworthy blames This odious argument my rimes should shend Or ought your goodly patience offend Whiles of a wanton Lady I do write Which with her loose incontinence doth blend The shyning glory of your soueraigne light And knighthood fowle defaced by a faithlesse knight But neuer let th'ensample of the bad Offend the good for good by paragone Of euill may more notably be rad As white seemes fairer macht with blacke attone Ne all are shamed by the fault of one For lo in heauen whereas all goodnesse is Emongst the Angels a whole legione Of wicked Sprights did fall from happy blis What wonder then if one of women all did mis Then listen Lordings if ye list to weet The cause why Satyrane and Paridell Mote not be entertaynd as seemed meet Into that Castle as that Squire does tell Therein a cancred crabbed Carle does dwell That has no skill of Court nor courtesie Ne cares what men say of him ill or well For all his dayes he drownes in priuitie Yet has full large to liue and spend at libertie But all his mind is set on mucky pelfe To hoord vp heapes of euill gotten masse For which he others wrongs and wreckes himselfe Yet is he lincked to a louely lasse Whose
sister was fayre Canacee That was the learnedst Ladie in her dayes Well seene in euerie science that mote bee And euery secret worke of natures wayes In wittie riddles and in wise soothsayes In power of herbes and tunes of beasts and burds And that augmented all her other prayse She modest was in all her deedes and words And wondrous chast of life yet lou'd of Knights Lords Full many Lords and many Knights her loued Yet she to none of them her liking lent Ne euer was with fond affection moued But rul'd her thoughts with goodly gouernement For dread of blame and honours blemishment And eke vnto her lookes a law she made That none of them once out of order went But like to warie Centonels well stayd Still watcht on euery side of secret foes affrayd So much die more as she refusd to loue So much the more she loued was and sought That oftentimes vnquiet strife did moue Amongst her louers and great quarrels wrought That oft for her in bloudie armes they fought Which whenas Cambell that was stout and wise Perceiu'd would breede great mischiefe he bethought How to preuent the perill that mote rise And turne both him and her to honour in this wise One day when all that troupe of warlike wooers Assembled were to weet whose she should bee All mightie men and dreadfull derring dooers The harder it to make them well agree Amongst them all this end he did decree That of them all which loue to her did make They by consent should chose the stoutest three That with himselfe should combat for her sake And of them all the victour should his sister take Bold was the chalenge as himselfe was bold And courage full of haughtie hardiment Approued oft in perils manifold Which he atchieu'd to his great ornament But yet his sisters skill vnto him lent Most confidence and hope of happie speed Conceiued by a ring which she him sent That mongst the manie vertues which we reed Had power to staunch al wounds that mortally did bleed Well was that rings great vertue knowen to all That dread thereof and his redoubted might Did all that youthly rout so much appall That none of them durst vndertake the fight More wise they weend to make of loue delight Then life to hazard for faire Ladies looke And yet vncertaine by such outward sight Though for her sake they all that perill tooke Whether she would them loue or in her liking brooke Amongst those knights there were three brethren bold Three bolder brethren neuer were yborne Borne of one mother in one happie mold Borne at one burden in one happie morne Thrise happie mother and thrise happie morne That bore three such three such not to be fond Her name was Agape whose children werne All three as one the first hight Priamond The second Dyamond the youngest Triamond Stout Priamond but not so strong to strike Strong Diamond but not so stout a knight But Triamond was stout and strong alike On horsebacke vsed Triamond to fight And Priamond on foote had more delight But horse and foote knew Diamond to wield With curtaxe vsed Diamond to smite And Triamond to handle speare and shield But speare and curtaxe both vsd Priamond in field These three did loue each other dearely well And with so firme affection were allyde As if but one soule in them all did dwell Which did her powre into three parts diuyde Like three faire branches budding farre and wide That from one roote deriu'd their vitall sap And like that roote that doth her life diuide Their mother was and had full blessed hap These three so noble babes to bring forth at one clap Their mother was a Fay and had the skill Of secret things and all the powres of nature Which she by art could vse vnto her will And to her seruice bind each liuing creature Through secret vnderstanding of their feature Thereto she was right faire when so her face She list discouer and of goodly stature But she as Fayes are wont in priuie place Did spend her dayes and lov'd in forests wyld to space There on a day a noble youthly knight Seeking aduentures in the saluage wood Did by great fortune get of her the sight As she sate carelesse by a cristall flood Combing her golden lockes as seemd her good And vnawares vpon her laying hold That stroue in vaine him long to haue withstood Oppressed her and there as it is told Got these three louely babes that prov'd three chāpions bold Which she with her long fostred in that wood Till that to ripenesse of mans state they grew Then shewing forth signes of their fathers blood They loued armes and knighthood did ensew Seeking aduentures where they anie knew Which when their mother saw she gan to dout Their safetie least by searching daungers new And rash prouoking perils all about Their days mote be abridged through their corage stout Therefore desirous th' end of all their dayes To know and them t' enlarge with long extent By wondrous skill and many hidden wayes To the three fatall sisters house she went Farre vnder ground from tract of liuing went Downe in the bottome of the deepe Abysse Where Demogorgon in dull darknesse pent Farre from the view of Gods and heauens blis The hideous Chaos keepes their dreadfull dwelling is There she them found all sitting round about The direfull distaffe standing in the mid And with vnwearied fingers drawing out The lines of life from liuing knowledge hid Sad Clotho held the rocke the whiles the thrid By griesly Lachesis was spun with paine That cruell Atropos eftsoones vndid With cursed knife cutting the twist in twaine Most wretched men whose dayes depend on thrids so vaine She them saluting there by them sate still Beholding how the thrids of life they span And when at last she had beheld her fill Trembling in heart and looking pale and wan Her cause of comming she to tell began To whom fierce Atropos Bold Fay that durst Come see the secret of the life of man Well worthie thou to be of Ioue accurst And eke thy childrens thrids to be a sunder burst Whereat she sore affrayd yet her besought To graunt her boone and rigour to abate That she might see her childrēs thrids forth brought And know the measure of their vtmost date To them ordained by eternall fate Which Clotho graunting shewed her the same That when she saw it did her much amate To see their thrids so thin as spiders frame And eke so short that seemd their ends out shortly came She then began them humbly to intreate To draw them longer out and better twine That so their liues might be prolonged late But Lachesis thereat gan to repine And sayd fond dame that deem'st of things diuine As of humane that they may altred bee And chaung'd at pleasure for those impes of thine Not so for what the Fates do once decree Not all the gods can chaunge nor Ioue him self can free Then since quoth
Lay hid in horrour of eternall night And bad them if so be they were not bound To come and shew themselues before the light Now freed from feare and danger of that dismall wight Then forth the said AEmylia issewed Yet trembling euery ioynt through former feare And after her the Hag there with her mewed A foule and lothsome creature did appeare A leman fit for such a louer deare That mou'd Belphebe her no lesse to hate Then for to rue the others heauy cheare Of whom she gan enquire of her estate Who all to her at large as hapned did relate Thence she them brought toward the place where late She left the gentle Squire with Amoret There she him found by that new louely mate Who lay the whiles in swoune full sadly set From her faire eyes wiping the deawy wet Which softly stild and kissing them atweene And handling soft the hurts which she did get For of that Carle she sorely bruz'd had beene Al 's of his owne rash hand one wound was to be seene Which when she saw with sodaine glauncing eye Her noble heart with sight thereof was fild With deepe disdaine and great indignity That in her wrath she thought them both haue thrild With that selfe arrow which the Carle had kild Yet held her wrathfull hand from vengeance sore But drawing nigh ere he her well beheld Is this the faith she said and said no more But turnd her face and fled away for euermore He seeing her depart arose vp light Right sore agrieued at her sharpe reproofe And follow'd fast but when he came in sight He durst not nigh approch but kept aloofe For dread of her displeasures vtmost proofe And euermore when he did grace entreat And framed speaches fit for his behoofe Her mortall arrowes she at him did threat And forst him backe with fowle dishonor to retreat At last when long he follow'd had in vaine Yet found no ease of griefe nor hope of grace Vnto those woods he turned backe againe Full of sad anguish and in heauy case And finding there fit solitary place For wofull wight chose out a gloomy glade Where hardly eye mote see bright heauens face For mossy trees which couered all with shade And sad melancholy there he his cabin made His wonted warlike weapons all he broke And threw away with vow to vse no more Ne thenceforth euer strike in battell stroke Ne euer word to speake to woman more But in that wildernesse of men forlore And of the wicked world forgotten quight His hard mishap in dolor to deplore And wast his wretched daies in wofull plight So on him selfe to wreake his follies owne despight And eke his garment to be thereto meet He wilfully did cut and shape anew And his faire lockes that wont with ointment sweet To be embaulm'd and sweat out dainty dew He let to grow and griesly to concrew Vncomb'd vncurl'd and carelesly vnshed That in short time his face they ouergrew And ouer all his shoulders did dispred That who he whilome was vneath was to be red There he continued in this carefull plight Wretchedly wearing out his youthly yeares Through wilfull penury consumed quight That like a pined ghost he soone appeares For other food then that wilde forrest beares Ne other drinke there did he euer tast Then running water tempred with his teares The more his weakened body so to wast That out of all mens knowledge he was worne at last For on a day by fortune as it fell His owne deare Lord Prince Arthure came that way Seeking aduentures where he mote heare tell And as he through the wandring wood did stray Hauing espide this Cabin far away He to it drew to weet who there did wonne Weening therein some holy Hermit lay That did resort of sinfull people shonne Or else some woodman shrowded there from scorching sunne Arriuing there he found this wretched man Spending his daies in dolour and despaire And through long fasting woxen pale and wan All ouergrowen with rude and rugged haire That albeit his owne deare Squire he were Yet he him knew not ne auiz'd at all But like strange wight whom he had seene no where Saluting him gan into speach to fall And pitty much his plight that liu'd like outcast thrall But to his speach he aunswered no whit But stood still mute as if he had beene dum Ne signe of sence did shew ne common wit As one with griefe and anguishe ouercum And vnto euery thing did aunswere mum And euer when the Prince vnto him spake He louted lowly as did him becum And humble homage did vnto him make Midst sorrow shewing ioyous semblance for his sake At which his vncouth guise and vsage quaint The Prince did wonder much yet could not ghesse The cause of that his sorrowfull constraint Yet weend by secret signes of manlinesse Which close appeard in that rude brutishnesse That he whilome some gentle swaine had beene Traind vp in feats of armes and knightlinesse Which he obseru'd by that he him had seene To weld his naked sword and try the edges keene And eke by that he saw on euery tree How he the name of one engrauen had Which likly was his liefest loue to be For whom he now so sorely was bestad Which was by him BELPHEBE rightly rad Yet who was that Belphebe he ne wist Yet saw he often how he wexed glad When he it heard and how the ground he kist Wherein it written was and how himselfe he blist Tho when he long had marked his demeanor And saw that all he said and did was vaine Ne ought mote make him change his wonted tenor Ne ought mote ease or mitigate his paine He left him there in languor to remaine Till time for him should remedy prouide And him restore to former grace againe Which for it is too long here to abide I will deferre the end vntill another tide Cant. VIII The gentle Squire recouers grace Sclaunder her guests doth staine Corflambo chaseth Placidas And is by Arthure slaine WEll said the wiseman now prou'd true by this Which to this gentle Squire did happen late That the displeasure of the mighty is Then death it selfe more dread and desperate Fornaught the same may calme ne mitigate Till time the tempest doe thereof delay With sufferaunce soft which rigour can abate And haue the sterne remembrance wypt away Of bitter thoughts which deepe therein infixed lay Like as it fell to this vnhappy boy Whose tender heart the faire Belphebe had With one sterne looke so daunted that no ioy In all his life which afterwards he lad He euer tasted but with penaunce sad And pensiue sorrow pind and wore away Ne euer laught ne once shew'd countenance glad But alwaies wept and wailed night and day As blasted bloosme through heat doth languish decay Till on a day as in his wonted wise His doole he made there chaunst a turtle Doue To come where he his dolors did deuise That likewise late had lost her
dearest loue Which losse her made like passion also proue Who seeing his sad plight her tender heart With deare compassion deeply did emmoue That she gan mone his vndeserued smart And with her dolefull accent beare with him a part Shee sitting by him as on ground he lay Her mournefull notes full piteously did frame And thereof made a lamentable lay So sensibly compyld that in the same Him seemed oft he heard his owne right name With that he forth would poure so plenteous teares And beat his breast vnworthy of such blame And knocke his head and rend his rugged heares That could haue perst the hearts of Tigres of Beares Thus long this gentle bird to him did vse Withouten dread of perill to repaire Vnto his wonne and with her mournefull muse Him to recomfort in his greatest care That much did ease his mourning and misfare And euery day for guerdon of her song He part of his small feast to her would share That at the last of all his woe and wrong Companion she became and so continued long Vpon a day as she him sate beside By chance he certaine miniments forth drew Which yet with him as relickes did abide Of all the bounty which Belphebe threw On him whilst goodly grace she did him shew Amongst the rest a iewell rich he found That was a Ruby of right perfect hew Shap'd like a heart yet bleeding of the wound And with a litle golden chaine about it bound The same he tooke and with a riband new In which his Ladies colours were did bind About the turtles necke that with the vew Did greatly solace his engrieued mind All vnawares the bird when she did find Her selfe so deckt hernimble wings displaid And flew away as lightly as the wind Which sodaine accident him much dismaid And looking after long did marke which way she straid But when as long he looked had in vaine Yet saw her forward still to make her flight His weary eie returnd to him againe Full of discomfort and disquiet plight That both his iuell he had lost so light And eke his deare companion of his care But that sweet bird departing flew forth right Through the wideregion of the wastfull aire Vntill she came where wonned his Belphebe faire There found she her as then it did betide Sitting in couert shade of arbors sweet After late weary toile which she had tride In saluage chase to rest as seem'd her meet There she alighting fell before her feet And gan to her her mournfull plaint to make As was herwont thinking to let her weet The great tormenting griefe that for her sake Her gentle Squire through her displeasure did pertake She her beholding with attentiue eye At length did marke about her purple brest That precious iuell which she formerly Had knowne right well with colourd ribbands drest Therewith she rose in hast and her addrest With ready hand it to haue rest away But the swift bird obayd not her behest But swaru'd aside and there againe did stay She follow'd her and thought againe it to assay And euer when she nigh approcht the Doue Would flit a litle forward and then stay Till she drew neare and then againe remoue So tempting her still to pursue the pray And still from her escaping soft away Till that at length into that forrest wide She drew her far and led with slow delay In th' end she her vnto that place did guide Whereas that wofull man in languor did abide Eftsoones she flew vnto his fearelesse hand And there a piteous ditty new deuiz'd As if she would haue made him vnderstand His sorrowes cause to be of her despis'd Whom when she saw in wretched weedes disguiz'd With heary glib deform'd and meiger face Like ghost late risen from his graue agryz'd She knew him not but pittied much his case And wisht it were in her to doe him any grace He her beholding at her feet downe fell And kist the ground on which her sole did tread And washt the same with water which did well From his moist eies and like two streames procead Yet spake no word whereby she might aread What mister wight he was or what he ment But as one daunted with her presence dread Onely few ruefull lookes vnto her sent As messengers of his true meaning and intent Yet nathemore his meaning she ared But wondred much at his so selcouth case And by his persons secret seemlyhed Well weend that he had beene some man of place Before misfortune did his hew deface That being mou'd with ruth she thus bespake Ah wofull man what heauens hard disgrace Or wrath of cruell wight on thee ywrake Or selfe disliked life doth thee thus wretched make If heauen then none may it redresse or blame Sith to his powre we all are subiect borne If wrathfull wight then fowle rebuke and shame Be theirs that haue so cruell thee forlorne But if through inward griefe or wilfull scorne Of life it be then better doe aduise For he whose daies in wilfull woe are worne The grace of his Creator doth despise That will not vse his gifts for thanklesse nigardise When so he heard her say eftsoones he brake His sodaine silence which he long had pent And sighing inly deepe her thus bespake Then haue they all themselues against me bent For heauen first author of my languishment Enuying my too great felicity Did closely with a cruell one consent To cloud my daies in dolefull misery And make me loath this life still longing for to die Ne any but your selfe ô dearest dred Hath done this wrong to wreake on worthlesse wight Your high displesure through misdeeming bred That when your pleasure is to deeme aright Ye may redresse and me restore to light Which sory words her mightie hart did mate With mild regard to see his ruefull plight That her inburning wrath she gan abate And him receiu'd againe to former fauours state In which he long time afterwards did lead An happie life with grace and good accord Fearlesse of fortunes chaunge or enuies dread And eke all mindlesse of his owne deare Lord The noble Prince who neuer heard one word Of tydings what did vnto him betide Or what good fortune did to him afford But through the endlesse world did wander wide Him seeking euermore yet no where him descride Till on a day as through that wood he rode He chaunst to come where those two Ladies late Aemylia and Amoret abode Both in full sad and sorrowfull estate The one right feeble through the euill rate Of food which in her duresse she had found The other almost dead and desperate Through her late hurts and through that haplesse wound With which the Squire in her defence her sore astound Whom when the Prince beheld he gan to rew The euill case in which those Ladies lay But most was moued at the piteous vew Of Amoret so neare vnto decay That her great daunger did him much dismay Eftsoones that pretious liquour forth
be And if he shall through pride your doome vndo Do you by duresse him compell thereto And in this prison put him here with me One prison fittest is to hold vs two So had I rather to be thrall then free Such thraldome or such freedome let it surely be But ô vaine iudgement and conditions vaine The which the prisoner points vnto the free The whiles I him condemne and deeme his paine He where he list goes loose and laughes at me So euer loose so euer happy be But where so loose or happy that thou art Know Marinell that all this is for thee With that she wept and wail'd as if her hart Would quite haue burst through great abūdance of her smart All which complaint when Marinell had heard And vnderstood the cause of all her care To come of him for vsing her so hard His stubborne heart that neuer felt misfare Was toucht with soft remorse and pitty rare That euen for griefe of minde he oft did grone And inly wish that in his powre it weare Her to redresse but since he meanes found none He could no more but her great misery bemone Thus whilst his stony heart with tender ruth Was toucht and mighty courage mollifide Dame Venus sonne that tameth stubborne youth With iron bit and maketh him abide Till like a victor on his backe he ride Into his mouth his maystring bridle threw That made him stoupe till he did him bestride Then gan he make him tread his steps anew And learne to loue by learning louers paines to rew Now gan he in his grieued minde deuise How from that dungeon he might her enlarge Some while he thought by faire and humble wise To Proteus selfe to sue for her discharge But then he fear'd his mothers former charge Gainst womens loue long giuen him in vaine Then gan he thinke perforce with sword and targe Her forth to fetch and Proteus to constraine But soone he gan such folly to forthinke againe Then did he cast to steale her thence away And with him beare where none of her might know But all in vaine for why he found no way To enter in or issue forth below For all about that rocke the sea did flow And though vnto his will she giuen were Yet without ship or bote her thence to row He wist not how her thence away to bere And daunger well he wist long to continue there At last when as no meanes he could inuent Backe to him selfe he gan returne the blame That was the author of her punishment And with vile curses and reprochfull shame To damne him selfe by euery euill name And deeme vnworthy or of loue or life That had despisde so chast and faire a dame Which him had sought through trouble lōg strife Yet had refusde a God that her had sought to wife In this sad plight he walked here and there And romed round about the rocke in vaine As he had lost him selfe he wist not where Oft listening if he mote her heare againe And still bemoning her vnworthy paine Like as an Hynde whose calfe is falne vnwares Into some pit where she him heares complaine An hundred times about the pit side fares Right sorrowfully mourning her bereaued cares And now by this the feast was throughly ended And euery one gan homeward to resort Which seeing Marinell was sore offended That his departure thence should be so short And leaue his loue in that sea-walled for t Yet durst he not his mother disobay But her attending in full seemly sort Did march amongst the many all the way And all the way did inly mourne like one astray Being returned to his mothers bowre In solitary silence far from wight He gan record the lamentable stowre In which his wretched loue lay day and night For his deare sake that ill deseru'd that plight The thought whereof empierst his hart so deepe That of no worldly thing he tooke delight Ne dayly food did take ne nightly sleepe But pyn'd mourn'd languisht and alone did weepe That in short space his wonted chearefull hew Gan fade and liuely spirits deaded quight His cheeke bones raw and eie-pits hollow grew And brawney armes had lost their knowen might That nothing like himselfe he seem'd in sight Ere long so weake of limbe and sicke of loue He woxe that lenger he note stand vpright But to his bed was brought and layd aboue Like ruefull ghost vnable once to stirre or moue Which when his mother saw she in her mind Was troubled sore ne wist well what to weene Ne could by search nor any meanes out find The secret cause and nature of his teene Whereby she might apply some medicine But weeping day and night did him attend And mourn'd to see her losse before her eyne Which grieu'd her more that she it could not mend To see an helpelesse euill double griefe doth lend Nought could she read the roote of his disease Ne weene what mister maladie it is Whereby to seeke some meanes it to appease Most did she thinke but most she thought amis That that same former fatall wound of his Whyleare by Tryphon was not throughly healed But closely rankled vnder th'orifis Least did she thinke that which he most concealed That loue it was which in his hart lay vnreuealed Therefore to Tryphon she againe doth hast And him doth chyde as false and fraudulent That fayld the trust which she in him had plast To cure her sonne as he his faith had lent Who now was falne into new languishment Of his old hurt which was not throughly cured So backe he came vnto her patient Where searching euery part her well assured That it was no old sore which his new paine procured But that it was some other maladie Or griefe vnknowne which he could not discerne So left he her withouten remedie Then gan her heart to faint and quake and earne And inly troubled was the truth to learne Vnto himselfe she came and him besought Now with faire speches now with threatnings sterne If ought lay hidden in his grieued thought It to reueale who still her answered there was nought Nathlesse she rested not so satisfide But leauing watry gods as booting nought Vnto the shinie heauen in haste she hide And thence Apollo King of Leaches brought Apollo came who soone as he had sought Through his disease did by and by out find That he did languish of some inward thought The which afflicted his engrieued mind Which loue he red to be that leads each liuing kind Which when he had vnto his mother told She gan thereat to fret and greatly grieue And comming to her sonne gan first to scold And chyde at him that made her misbelieue But afterwards she gan him soft to shrieue And wooe with faire intreatie to disclose Which of the Nymphes his heart so sore did mieue For sure she weend it was some one of those Which he had lately seene that for his loue he chose Now lesse she feared
that same fatall read That warned him of womens loue beware Which being ment of mortall creatures sead For loue of Nymphes she thought she need not care But promist him what euer wight she weare That she her loue to him would shortly gaine So he her told but soone as she did heare That Florimell it was which wrought his paine She gan a fresh to chafe and grieue in euery vaine Yet since she saw the streight extremitie In which his life vnluckily was layd It was no time to scan the prophecie Whether old Proteus true or false had sayd That his decay should happen by a mayd It 's late in death of daunger to aduize Or loue forbid him that is life denayd But rather gan in troubled mind deuize How she that Ladies libertie might enterprize To Proteus selfe to sew she thought it vaine Who was the root and worker of her woe Nor vnto any meaner to complaine But vnto great king Neptune selfe did goe And on her knee before him falling lowe Made humble suit vnto his Maiestie To graunt to her her sonnes life which his foe A cruell Tyrant had presumpteouslie By wicked doome condemn'd a wretched death to die To whom God Neptune softly smyling thus Daughter me seemes of double wrong ye plaine Gainst one that hath both wronged you and vs For death t'adward I ween'd did appertaine To none but to the seas sole Soueraine Read therefore who it is which this hath wrought And for what cause the truth discouer plaine For neuer wight so euill did or thought But would some rightfull cause pretend though rightly nought To whom she answerd Then it is by name Proteus that hath ordayn'd my sonne to die For that a waist the which by fortune came Vpon your seas he claym'd as propertie And yet nor his nor his in equitie But yours the waift by high prerogatiue Therefore I humbly craue your Maiestie It to repleuie and my sonne repriue So shall you by one gift saue all vs three aliue He graunted it and streight his warrant made Vnder the Sea-gods seale autenticall Commaunding Proteus straight t' enlarge the mayd Which wandring on his seas imperiall He lately tooke and sithence kept as thrall Which she receiuing with meete thankefulnesse Departed straight to Proteus therewithall Who reading it with inward loathfulnesse Was grieued to restore the pledge he did possesse Yet durst he not the warrant to withstand But vnto her deliuered Florimell Whom she receiuing by the lilly hand Admyr'd her beautie much as she mote well For she all liuing creatures did excell And was right ioyous that she gotten had So faire a wife for her sonne Marinell So home with her she streight the virgin lad And shewed her to him then being sore bestad Who soone as he beheld that angels face Adorn'd with all diuine perfection His cheared heart eftsoones away gan chace Sad death reuiued with her sweet inspection And feeble spirit inly felt refection As withered weed through cruell winters tine That feeles the warmth of sunny beames reflection Liftes vp his head that did before decline And gins to spread his leafe before the faire sunshine Right so himselfe did Marinell vpreare When he in place his dearest loue did spy And though his limbs could not his bodie beare Ne former strength returne so suddenly Yet chearefull signes he shewed outwardly Ne lesse was she in secret hart affected But that she masked it with modestie For feare she should of lightnesse be detected Which to another place I leaue to be perfected THE FIFTH BOOKE OF THE FAERIE QVEENE Contayning THE LEGEND OF ARTEGALL OR OF IVSTICE SO oft as I with state of present time The image of the antique world compare When as mans age was in his freshest prime And the first blossome of faire vertue bare Such oddes I finde twixt those and these which are As that through long continuance of his course Me seemes die world is runne quite out of square From the first point of his appointed sourse And being once amisse growes daily wourse and wourse For from the golden age that first was named It 's now at earst become a stonie one And men themselues the which at first were framed Of earthly mould and form'd of flesh and bone Are now transformed into hardest stone Such as behind their backs so backward bred Were throwne by Pyrrha and Deucalione And if then those may any worse be red They into that ere long will be degendered Let none then blame me if in discipline Of vertue and of ciuill vses lore I doe not forme them to the common line Of present dayes which are corrupted sore But to the antique vse which was of yore When good was onely for it selfe desyred And all men sought their owne and none no more When Iustice was not for most meed outhyred But simple Truth did rayne and was of all admyred For that which all men then did vertue call Is now cald vice and that which vice was hight Is now hight vertue and so vs'd of all Right now is wrong and wrong that was is right As all things else in time are chaunged quight Ne wonder for the heauens reuolution Is wandred farre from where it first was pight And so doe make contrarie constitution Of all this lower world toward his dissolution For who so list into the heauens looke And search the courses of the rowling spheares Shall find that from the point where they first tooke Their setting forth in these few thousand yeares They all are wandred much that plaine appeares For that same golden fleecy Ram which bore Phrixus and Helle from their stepdames feares Hath now forgot where he was plast of yore And shouldred hath the Bull which fayre Europa bore And eke the Bull hath with his bow-bent horne So hardly butted those two twinnes of Ioue That they haue crusht the Crab and quite him borne Into the great Nemoean lions groue So now all range and doe at randon roue Out of their proper places farre away And all this world with them amisse doe moue And all his creatures from their course astray Till they arriue at their last ruinous decay Ne is that same great glorious lampe of light That doth enlumine all these lesser fyres In better case ne keepes his course more right But is miscaried with the other Spheres For since the terme of fourteene hundred yeres That learned Ptolomaee his hight did take He is declyned from that marke of theirs Nigh thirtie minutes to the Southerne lake That makes me feare in time he will vs quite forsake And if to those Aegyptian wisards old Which in Star-read were wont haue best insight Faith may be giuen it is by them told That since the time they first tooke the Sunnes hight Foure times his place he shifted hath in sight And twice hath risen where he now doth West And wested twice where he ought rise aright But mostis Mars amisse of all the rest And next to him old Saturne
Within his mouth a blacke spot doth appeare Shapt like a horses shoe who list to seeke it there Whereof to make due tryall one did take The horse in hand within his mouth to looke But with his heeles so sorely he him strake That all his ribs he quite in peeces broke That neuer word from that day forth he spoke Another that would seeme to haue more wit Him by the bright embrodered hedstall tooke But by the shoulder him so sore he bit That he him maymed quite and all his shoulder split Ne he his mouth would open vnto wight Vntill that Guyon selfe vnto him spake And called Brigadore so was he hight Whose voice so soone as he did vndertake Eftsoones he stood as still as any stake And suffred all his secret marke to see And when as he him nam'd for ioy he brake His bands and follow'd him with gladfull glee And friskt and flong aloft and louted low on knee Thereby Sir Artegall did plaine areed That vnto him the horse belong'd and sayd Lo there Sir Guyon take to you the steed As he with golden saddle is arayd And let that losell plainely now displayd Hence fare on foot till he an horse haue gayned But the proud boaster gan his doome vpbrayd And him reuil'd and rated and disdayned That iudegement so vniust against him had ordayned Much was the knight incenst with his lewd word To haue reuenged that his villeny And thrise did lay his hand vpon his sword To haue him slaine or dearely doen aby But Guyon did his choler pacify Saying Sir knight it would dishonour bee To you that are our iudge of equity To wreake your wrath on such a carle as hee It's punishment enough that all his shame doe see So did he mitigate Sir Artegall But Talus by the backe the boaster hent And drawing him out of the open hall Vpon him did inflict this punishment First he his beard did shaue and fowly shent Then from him reft his shield and it renuerst And blotted out his armes with falshood blent And himselfe baffuld and his armes vnherst And broke his sword in twaine and all his armour sperst The whiles his guilefull groome was fled away But vaine it was to thinke from him to flie Who ouertaking him did disaray And all his face deform'd with infamie And out of court him scourged openly So ought all faytours that true knighthood shame And armes dishonour with base villanie From all braue knights be banisht with defame For oft their lewdnes blotteth good deserts with blame Now when these counterfeits were thus vncased Out of the foreside of their forgerie And in the sight of all men cleane disgraced All gan to iest and gibe full merilie At the remembrance of their knauerie Ladies can laugh at Ladies Knights at Knights To thinke with how great vaunt of brauerie He them abused through his subtill slights And what a glorious shew he made in all their sights There leaue we them in pleasure and repast Spending their ioyous dayes and gladfull nights And taking vsurie of time forepast With all deare delices and rare delights Fit for such Ladies and such louely knights And turne were here to this faire furrowes end Our wearie yokes to gather fresher sprights That when as time to Artegall shall tend We on his first aduenture may him forward send Cant. IIII Artegall dealeth right betwixt two brethren that doe striue Saues Terpine from the gallow tree and doth from death reprine WHo so vpon him selfe will take the skill True Iustice vnto people to diuide Had neede haue mightie hands for to fulfill That which he doth with righteous doome decide And for to maister wrong and puissant pride For vaine it is to deeme of things aright And makes wrong doers iustice to deride Vnlesse it be perform'd with dreadlesse might For powre is the right hand of Iustice truely hight Therefore whylome to knights of great emprise The charge of Iustice giuen was in trust That they might execute her iudgements wise And with their might beat downe licentious lust Which proudly did impugne her sentence iust Whereof no brauer president this day Remaines on earth preseru'd from yron rust Of rude obliuion and long times decay Then this of Artegall which here we haue to say Who hauing lately left that louely payre Enlincked fast in wedlockes loyall bond Bold Marinell with Florimell the fayre With whom great feast and goodly glee he fond Departed from the Castle of the strond To follow his aduentures first intent Which long agoe he taken had in hond Ne wight with him for his assistance went But that great yron groome his gard and gouernment With whom as he did passe by the sea shore He chaunst to come whereas two comely Squires Both brethren whom one wombe together bore But stirred vp with different desires Together stroue and kindled wrathfull fires And them beside two seemely damzels stood By all meanes seeking to asswage their ires Now with faire words but words did little good Now with sharpe threats but threats the more increast their mood And there before them stood a Coffer strong Fast bound on euery side with iron bands But seeming to haue suffred mickle wrong Either by being wreckt vppon the sands Or being carried farre from forraine lands Seem'd that for it these Squires at ods did fall And bent against them selues their cruell hands But euermore those Damzels did forestall Their furious encounter and their fiercenesse pall But firmely fixt they were with dint of sword And battailes doubtfull proofe their rights to try Ne other end their fury would afford But what to them Fortune would iustify So stood they both in readinesse thereby To ioyne the combate with cruell intent When Artegall arriuing happily Did stay a while their greedy bickerment Till he had questioned the cause of their dissent To whom the elder did this aunswere frame Then weete ye Sir that we two brethren be To whom oursire Milesio by name Did equally bequeath his lands in fee Two Ilands which ye there before you see Not farre in sea of which the one appeares But like a little Mount of small degree Yet was as great and wide ere many yeares As that same other Isle that greater bredth now beares But tract of time that all things doth decay And this deuouring Sea that naught doth spare The most part of my land hath washt away And throwne it vp vnto my brothers share So his encreased but mine did empaire Before which time I lou'd as was my lot That further mayd hight Philtera the faire With whom a goodly doure I should haue got And should haue ioyned bene to her in wedlocks knot Then did my younger brother Amidas Loue that same other Damzell Lucy bright To whom but little dowre allotted was Her vertue was the dowre that did delight What better dowre can to a dame be hight But now when Philtra saw my lands decay And former liuelod fayle she left me quight And to my
heauens hard direction That ye were runne so fondly far astray As for to lead your selfe vnto your owne decay Much was the man confounded in his mind Partly with shame and partly with dismay That all astonisht he him selfe did find And little had for his excuse to say But onely thus Most haplesse well ye may Me iustly terme that to this shame am brought And made the scorne of Knighthod this same day But who can scape what his owne fate hath wrought The worke of heauens will surpasseth humaine thought Right true but faulty men vse oftentimes To attribute their folly vnto fate And lay on heauen the guilt of their owne crimes But tell Sir Terpin ne let you amate Your misery how fell ye in this state Then sith ye needs quoth he will know my shame And all the ill which chaunst to me of late I shortly will to you rehearse the same In hope ye will not turne misfortune to my blame Being desirous as all Knights are woont Through hard aduentures deedes of armes to try And after fame and honour for to hunt I heard report that farre abrode did fly That a proud Amazon did late defy All the braue Knights that hold of Maidenhead And vnto them wrought all the villany That she could forge in her malicious head Which some hath put to shame and many done be dead The cause they say of this her cruell hate Is for the sake of Bellodant the bold To whom she bore most feruent loue of late And wooed him by all the waies she could But when she saw at last that he ne would For ought or nought be wonne vnto her will She turn'd her loue to hatred manifold And for his sake vow'd to doe all the ill Which she could doe to Knights which now she doth fulfill For all those Knights the which by force or guile She doth subdue she fowly doth entreate First she doth them of warlike armes despoile And cloth in womens weedes And then with threat Doth them compell to worke to earne their meat To spin to card to sew to wash to wring Ne doth she giue them other thing to eat But bread and water or like feeble thing Them to disable from reuenge aduenturing But if through stout disdaine of manly mind Any her proud obseruaunce will withstand Vppon that gibbet which is there behind She causeth them be hang'd vp out of hand In which condition I right now did stand For being ouercome by her in fight And put to that base seruice of her band I rather chose to die in lines despight Then lead that shamefull life vnworthy of a Knight How hight that Amazon sayd Artegall And where and how far hence does she abide Her name quoth he they Radigund doe call A Princesse of great powre and greater pride And Queene of Amazons in armes well tride And sundry battels which she hath atchieued With great successe that her hath glorifide And made her famous more then is belieued Ne would I it haue ween'd had I not late it prieued Now sure said he and by the faith that I To Maydenhead and noble knighthood owe I will not rest till I her might doe trie And venge the shame that she to Knights doth show Therefore Sir Terpin from you lightly throw This squalid weede the patterne of dispaire And wend with me that ye may see and know How Fortune will your ruin'd name repaire And knights of Maidenhead whose praise she would empaire With that like one that hopelesse was repry'ud From deathes dore at which he lately lay Those yron fetters wherewith he was gyu'd The badges ofreproch he threw away And nimbly did him dight to guide the way Vnto the dwelling of that Amazone Which was from thence not past a mile or tway A goodly citty and a mighty one The which of her owne name she called Radegone Where they arriuing by the watchmen were Descried streight who all the citty warned How that three warlike persons did appeare Of which the one him seem'd a Knight all armed And th' other two well likely to haue harmed Estsoones the people all to harnesse ran And like a sort of Bees in clusters swarmed Ere long their Queene her selfe halfe like a man Came forth into the rout and them t'array began And now the Knights being arriued neare Did beat vppon the gates to enter in And at the Porter skorning them so few Threw many threats if they the towne did win To teare his flesh in peeces for his sin Which when as Radigund there comming heard Her heart for rage did grate and teeth did grin She bad that streight the gates should be vnbard And to them way to make with weapons well prepard Soone as the gates were open to them set They pressed forward entraunce to haue made But in the middle way they were ymet With a sharpe showre of arrowes which them staid And better bad aduise ere they assaid Vnknowen perill of bold womens pride Then all that rout vppon them rudely laid And heaped strokes so fast on euery side And arrowes haild so thicke that they could not abide But Radigund her selfe when she espide Sir Terpin from her direfull doome acquit So cruell doile amongst her maides dauide T' auenge that shame they did on him commit All sodainely enflam'd with furious fit Like a fell Lionesse at him she flew And on his head-peece him so fiercely smit That to the ground him quite she ouerthrew Dismayd so with the stroke that he no colours knew Soone as she saw him on the ground to grouell She lightly to him leapt and in his necke Her proud foote setting at his head did leuell Weening at once her wrath on him to wreake And his contempt that did her iudg'ment breake As when a Beare hath seiz'd her cruell clawes Vppon the carkasse of some beast too weake Proudly stands ouer and a while doth pause To heare the piteous beast pleading her plaintiffe cause Whom when as Artegall in that distresse By chaunce beheld he left the bloudy slaughter In which he swam and ranne to his redresse There her assayling fiercely fresh he raught her Such an huge stroke that it of sence distraught her And had she not it warded warily It had depriu'd her mother of a daughter Nathlesse for all the powre she did apply It made her stagger oft and stare with ghastly eye Like to an Eagle in his kingly pride Soring through his wide Empire of the aire To weather his brode sailes by chaunce hath spide A Goshauke which hath seized for her share Vppon some fowle that should her feast prepare With dreadfull force he flies at her byliue That with his souce which none enduren dare Her from the quarrey he away doth driue And from her griping pounce the greedy prey doth riue But soone as she her sence recouer'd had She fiercely towards him her selfe gan dight Through vengeful wrath sdeignfull pride half mad For neuer had she suffred such despight But ere she could
most comely wize Who though desirous rather to rest mute Then termes to entertaine of common guize Yet rather then she kindnesse would despize She would her selfe displease so him requite Then gan the other further to deuize Of things abrode as next to hand did light And many things demaund to which she answer'd light For little lust had she to talke of ought Or ought to heare that mote delightfull bee Her minde was whole possessed of one thought That gaue none other place Which when as hee By outward signes as well he might did see He list no lenger to vse lothfull speach But her besought to take it well in gree Sith shady dampe had dimd the heauens reach To lodge with him that night vnles good cause empeach The Championesse now seeing night at dore Was glad to yeeld vnto his good request And with him went without gaine-saying more Not farre away but little wide by West His dwelling was to which he him addrest Where soone arriuing they receiued were In seemely wise as them beseemed best For he their host them goodly well did cheare And talk't of pleasant things the night away to weare Thus passing th' euening well till time of rest Then Britomart vnto a bowre was brought Where groomes awayted her to haue vndrest But she ne would vndressed be for ought Ne doffe her armes though he her much besought For she had vow'd she sayd not to forgo Those warlike weedes till she reuenge had wrought Of a late wrong vppon a mortall foe Which she would sure performe betide her wele or wo. Which when their Host perceiu'd right discontent In minde he grew for feare least by that art He should his purpose misse which close he ment Yet taking leaue of her he did depart There all that night remained Britomart Restlesse recomfortlesse with heart deepe grieued Not suffering the least twinckling sleepe to start Into her eye which th' heart mote haue relieued But if the least appear'd her eyes she streight reprieued Ye guilty eyes sayd she the which with guyle My heart at first betrayd will ye betray My life now to for which a little whyle Ye will not watch false watches wellaway I wote when ye did watch both night and day Vnto your losse and now needes will ye sleepe Now ye haue made my heart to wake alway Now will ye sleepe ah wake and rather weepe To thinke of your nights want that should yee waking keepe Thus did she watch and weare the weary night In waylfull plaints that none was to appease Now walking soft now sitting still vpright As sundry chaunge her seemed best to ease Ne lesse did Talus suffer sleepe to seaze His eye-lids sad but watcht continually Lying without her dore in great disease Like to a Spaniell wayting carefully Least any should betray his Lady treacherously What time the natiue Belman of the night The bird that warned Peter of his fall First rings his siluer Bell t' each sleepy wight That should their mindes vp to deuotion call She heard a wondrous noise below the hall All sodainely the bed where she should lie By a false trap was let adowne to fall Into a lower roome and by and by The lost was raysd againe that no man could it spie With sight whereof she was dismayd right sore Perceiuing well the treason which was ment Yet stirred not at all for doubt of more But kept her place with courage confident Wayting what would ensue of that euent It was not long before she heard the sound of armed men comming with close intent Towards her chamber at which dreadfull stound She quickly caught her sword shield about her bound With that there came vnto her chamber dore Two Knights all arm'd ready for to fight And after them full many other more A raskall rout with weapons rudely dight Whom soone as Talus spide by glims of night He started vp there where on ground he lay And in his hand his thresher ready keight They seeing that let driue at him streight way And round about him preace in riotous aray But soone as he began to lay about With his rude yron flaile they gan to flie Both armed Knights and eke vnarmed rout Yet Talus after them apace did plie Where euer in the darke he could them spie That here and there like scattred sheepe they lay Then backe returning where his Dame did lie He to her told the story of that fray And all that treason there intended did bewray Wherewith though wondrous wroth and inly burning To be auenged for so fowle a deede Yet being forst to abide the daies returning She there remain'd but with right wary heede Least any more such practise should proceede Now mote ye know that which to Britomart Vnknowen was whence all this did proceede And for what cause so great mischieuous smart Was ment to her that neuer euill ment in hart The goodman of this house was Dolon hight A man of subtill wit and wicked minde That whilome in his youth had bene a Knight And armes had borne but little good could finde And much lesse honour by that warlike kinde Of life for he was nothing valorous But with slie shiftes and wiles did vnderminde All noble Knights which were aduenturous And many brought to shame by treason treacherous He had three sonnes all three like fathers sonnes Like treacherous like full of fraud and guile Of all that on this earthly compasse wonnes The eldest of the which was slaine erewhile By Artegall through his owne guilty wile His name was Guizor whose vntimely fate For to auenge full many treasons vile His father Dolon had deuiz'd of late With these his wicked sons and shewd his cankred hate For sure he weend that this his present guest Was Artegall by many tokens plaine But chiefly by that yron page he ghest Which still was wont with Artegall remaine And therefore ment him surely to haue slaine But by Gods grace and her good heedinesse She was preserued from their traytrous traine Thus she all night wore out in watchfulnesse Ne suffred slothfull sleepe her eyelids to oppresse The morrow next so soone as dawning houre Discouered had the light to liuing eye She forth yssew'd out of her loathed bowre With full intent t' auenge that villany On that vilde man and all his family And comming down to seeke them where they wond Nor sire nor sonnes nor any could she spie Each rowme she sought but them all empty fond They all were fled for feare but whether nether kond She saw it vaine to make there lenger stay But tooke her steede and thereon mounting light Gan her addresse vnto her former way She had not rid the mountenance of a flight But that she saw there present in her sight Those two false brethren on that perillous Bridge On which Pollente with Artegall did fight Streight was the passage like a ploughed ridge That if two met the one mote needes fall ouer the lidge There they did thinke
streight went forth his gladnesse to partake With Belge who watcht all this while full sad Wayting what end would be of that same daunger drad Whom when she saw so ioyously come forth She gan reioyce and shew triumphant chere Lauding and praysing his renowmed worth By all the names that honorable were Then in he brought her and her shewed there The present of his paines that Monsters spoyle And eke that Idoll deem'd so costly dere Whom he did all to peeces breake and foyle In filthy durt and left so in the loathely soyle Then all the people which beheld that day Gan shout aloud that vnto heauen it rong And all the damzels of that towne in ray Came dauncing forth and ioyous carrols song So him they led through all their streetes along Crowned with girlonds of immortall baies And all the vulgar did about them throng To see the man whose euerlasting praise They all were bound to all posterities to raise There he with Belgae did a while remaine Making great feast and ioyous merriment Vntill he had her settled in her raine With safe assuraunce and establishment Then to his first emprize his mind he lent Full loath to Belgae and to all the rest Of whom yet taking leaue thenceforth he went And to his former iourney him addrest On which long way he rode ne euer day did rest But turne we now to noble Artegall Who hauing left Mercilla streight way went On his first quest the which him forth did call To weet to worke Irenaes franchisement And eke Grantortoes worthy punishment So forth he fared as his manner was With onely Talus wayting diligent Through many perils and much way did pas Till nigh vnto the place at length approcht he has There as he traueld by the way he met An aged wight wayfaring all alone Who through his yeares long since aside had set The vse of armes and battell quite forgone To whom as he approcht he knew anone That it was he which whilome did attend On faire Irene in her affliction When first to Faery court he saw her wend Vnto his soueraine Queene her suite for to commend Whom by his name saluting thus he gan Haile good Sir Sergis truest Knight aliue Well tride in all thy Ladies troubles than When her that Tyrant did of Crowne depriue What new ocasion doth thee hither driue Whiles she alone is left and thou here found Or is she thrall or doth she not suruiue To whom he thus She liueth sure and sound But by that Tyrant is in wretched thraldome bound For she presuming on th' appointed tyde In which ye promist as ye were a Knight To meete her at the saluage Ilands syde And then and there for triall of her right With her vnrigteous enemy to fight Did thither come where she afrayd of nought By guilefull treason and by subtill slight Surprized was and to Grantorto brought Who her imprisond hath and her life often sought And now he hath to her prefixt a day By which if that no champion doe appeare Which will her cause in battailous array Against him iustifie and proue her cleare Of all those crimes that he gainst her doth reare She death shall by Those tidings sad Did much abash Sir Artegall to heare And grieued sore that through his fault she had Fallen into that Tyrants hand and vsage bad Then thus replide Now sure and by my life Too much am I too blame for that faire Maide That haue her drawne to all this troublous strife Through promise to afford her timely aide Which by default I haue not yet defraide But witnesse vnto me ye heauens that knew How cleare I am from blame of this vpbraide For ye into like thraldome me did throw And kept from complishing the faith which I did owe. But now aread Sir Sergis how long space Hath he her lent a Champion to prouide Ten daies quoth he he graunted hath of grace For that he weeneth well before that tide None can haue tidings to assist her side For all the shores which to the sea accoste He day and night doth ward both far and wide That none can there arriue without an hoste So her he deemes already but a damned ghoste Now turne againe Sir Artegall then sayd For if I liue till those ten daies haue end Assure your selfe Sir Knight she shall haue ayd Though I this dearest life for her doe spend So backeward he attone with him did wend. Tho as they rode together on their way A rout of people they before them kend Flocking together in confusde array As if that there were some tumultuous affray To which as they approcht the cause to know They saw a Knight in daungerous distresse Of a rude rout him chasing to and fro That sought with lawlesse powre him to oppresse And bring in bondage of their brutishnesse And farre away amid their rakehell bands They spide a Lady left all succourlesse Crying and holding vp her wretched hands To him for aide who long in vaine their rage withstands Yet still he striues ne any perill spares To reskue her from their rude violence And like a Lion wood amongst them fares Dealing his dreadfull blowes with large dispence Gainst which the pallid death findes no defence But all in vaine their numbers are so great That naught may boot to banishe them from thence For soone as he their outrage backe doth beat They turne afresh and oft renew their former threat And now they doe so sharpely him assay That they his shield in peeces battred haue And forced him to throw it quite away Fro dangers dread his doubtfull life to saue Albe that it most safety to him gaue And much did magnifie his noble name For from the day that he thus did it leaue Amongst all Knights he blotted was with blame And counted but a recreant Knight with endles shame Whom when they thus distressed did behold They drew vnto his aide but that rude rout Them also gan assaile with outrage bold And forced them how euer strong and stout They were as well approu'd in many a doubt Backe to recule vntill that yron man With his huge flaile began to lay about From whose sterne presence they diffused ran Like scattred chaffe the which the wind away doth fan So when that Knight from perill cleare was freed He drawing neare began to greete them faire And yeeld great thankes for their so goodly deed In sauing him from daungerous despaire Of those which sought his life for to empaire Of whom Sir Artegall gan then enquire The whole occasion of his late misfare And who he was and what those villaines were The which with mortall malice him pursu'd so nere To whom he thus My name is Burbon hight Well knowne and far renowmed heretofore Vntill late mischiefe did vppon me light That all my former praise hath blemisht sore And that faire Lady which in that vprore Ye with those caytiues saw Flourdelis hight Is mine owne loue though me she haue
rayling and foule reuilement But still prouokt her sonne to wreake her wrong But nathelesse he did her still torment And catching hold of her vngratious tong Thereon an yron lock did fasten firme and strong Then when as vse of speach was from her reft With her two crooked handes she signes did make And beckned him the last helpe she had left But he that last left helpe away did take And both her hands fast bound vnto a stake That she note stirre Then gan her sonne to flie Full fast away and did her quite forsake But Guyon after him in haste did hie And soone him ouertooke in sad perplexitie In his strong armes he stiffely him embraste Who him gainstriuing nought at all preuaild For all his power was vtterly defaste And furious fits at earst quite weren quaild Oft he re'nforst and oft his forces fayld Yet yield he would not nor his rancour slacke Then him to ground he cast and rudely hayld And both his hands fast bound behind his backe And both his feet in fetters to an yron racke With hundred yron chaines he did him bind And hundred knots that did him sore constraine Yet his great yron teeth he still did grind And grimly gnash threatning reuenge in vaine His burning eyen whom bloudie strakes did staine Stared full wide and threw forth sparkes of fire And more for ranck despight then for great paine Shakt his long lockes colourd like copper-wire And bit his tawny beard to shew his raging ire Thus when as Guyon Furor had captiu'd Turning about he saw that wretched Squire Whom that mad man of life nigh late depriu'd Lying on ground all soild with bloud and mire Whom when as he perceiued to respire He gan to comfort and his wounds to dresse Being at last recured he gan inquire What hard mishap him brought to such distresse And made that caitiues thral the thral of wretchednesse With hart then throbbing and with watry eyes Faire Sir quoth he what man can shun the hap That hidden lyes vnwares him to surpryse Misfortune waites aduantage to entrap The man most warie in her whelming lap So me weake wretch of many weakest one Vnweeting and vnware of such mishap She brought to mischiefe through occasion Where this same wicked villein did me light vpon It was a faithlesse Squire that was the sourse Of all my sorrow and of these sad teares With whom from tender dug of commune nourse Attonce I was vpbrought and eft when yeares More rype vs reason lent to chose our Peares Our selues in league of vowed loue we knit In which we long time without gealous feares Or faultie thoughts continewd as was fit And for my part I vow dissembled not a whit Is was my fortune commune to that age To loue a Ladie faire of great degree The which was borne of noble parentage And set in highest seat of dignitee Yet seemd no lesse to loue then loued to bee Long I her seru'd and found her faithfull still Ne euer thing could cause vs disagree Loue that two harts makes one makes eke one will Each stroue to please and others pleasure to fulfill My friend hight Philemon I did partake Of all my loue and all my priuitie Who greatly ioyous seemed for my sake And gratious to that Ladie as to mee Ne euer wight that mote so welcome bee As he to her withouten blot or blame Ne euer thing that she could thinke or see But vnto him she would impart the same O wretched man that would abuse so gentle Dame At last such grace I found and meanes I wrought That I that Ladie to my spouse had wonne Accord of friends consent of parents sought Affiance made my happinesse begonne There wanted nought but few rites to be donne Which mariage make that day too farre did seeme Most ioyous man on whom the shining Sunne Did shew his face my selfe I did esteeme And that my falser friend did no lesse ioyous deeme But ere that wished day his beame disclosd He either enuying my toward good Or of himselfe to treason ill disposd One day vnto me came in friendly mood And told for secret how he vnderstood That Ladie whom I had to me assynd Had both distaind her honorable blood And eke the faith which she to me did bynd And therfore wisht me stay till I more truth should fynd The gnawing anguish and sharpe gelosy Which his sad speech infixed in my brest Ranckled so sore and festred inwardly That my engreeued mind could find no rest Till that the truth thereof I did outwrest And him besought by that same sacred band Betwixt vs both to counsell me the best He then with solemne oath and plighted hand Assur'd ere long the truth to let me vnderstand Ere long with like againe he boorded mee Saying he now had boulted all the floure And that it was a groome of base degree Which of my loue was partner Paramoure Who vsed in a darkesome inner bowre Her oft to meet which better to approue He promised to bring me at that howre When I should see that would me nearer moue And driue me to withdraw my blind abused loue This gracelesse man for furtherance of his guile Did court the handmayd of my Lady deare Who glad t'embosome his affection vile Did all she might more pleasing to appeare One day to worke her to his will more neare He woo'd her thus Pryene so she hight What great despight doth fortune to thee beare Thus lowly to abase thy beautie bright That it should not deface all others lesser light But if she had her least helpe to thee lent T' adorne thy forme according thy desart Their blazing pride thou wouldest soone haue blent And staynd their prayses with thy least good part Ne should faire Claribell with all her art Though she thy Lady be approch thee neare For proofe thereof this euening as thou art Aray thy selfe in her most gorgeous geare That I may more delight in thy embracement deare The Maidē proud through prayse and mad through loue Him hearkned to and soone her selfe arayd The whiles to me the treachour did remoue His craftie engin and as he had sayd Me leading in a secret corner layd The sad spectatour of my Tragedie Where left he went and his owne false part playd Disguised like that groome of base degree Whom he had feignd th' abuser of my loue to bee Eftsoones he came vnto th' appointed place And with him brought Priene rich arayd In Claribellaes clothes Her proper face I not descerned in that darkesome shade But weend it was my loue with whom he playd Ah God what horrour and tormenting griefe My hart my hands mine eyes and all assayd Me liefer were ten thousand deathes priefe Then wound of gealous worme and shame of such repriefe I home returning fraught with fowle despight And chawing vengeance all the way I went Soone as my loathed loue appeard in sight With wrathfull hand I slew her innocent That after soone I dearely did lament For
all their actions to direct aright The fatall purpose of diuine foresight Thou doest effect in destined descents Through deepe impression of thy secret might And stirredst vp th'Heroes high intents Which the late world admyres for wondrous monimēts But thy dread darts in none doe triumph more Ne brauer proofe in any of thy powre Shew'dst thou then in this royall Maid of yore Making her seeke an vnknowne Paramoure From the worlds end through many a bitter stowre From whose two loynes thou afterwards did rayse Most famous fruits of matrimoniall bowre Which through the earth haue spred their liuing prayse That fame in trompe of gold eternally displayes Begin then ô my dearest sacred Dame Daughter of Phoebus and of Memorie That doest ennoble with immortall name The warlike Worthies from antiquitie In thy great volume of Eternitie Begin ô Clio and recount from hence My glorious Soueraines goodly auncestie Till that by dew degrees and long pretence Thou haue it lastly brought vnto her Excellence Full many wayes within her troubled mind Old Glauce cast to cure this Ladies griefe Full many waies she sought but none could find Nor herbes nor charmes nor counsell that is chiefe And choisest med'cine for sicke harts reliefe For thy great care she tooke and greater feare Least that it should her turne to foule repriefe And sore reproch when so her father deare Should of his dearest daughters hard misfortune heare At last she her auisd that he which made That mirrhour wherein the sicke Damosell So straungely vewed her straunge louers shade To weet the learned Merlin well could tell Vnder what coast of heauen the man did dwell And by what meanes his loue might best be wrought For though beyond the Africk Ismaell Or th' Indian Peru he were she thought Him forth through infinite endeuour to haue sought Forthwith themselues disguising both in straunge And base attyre that none might them bewray To Maridunum that is now by chaunge Of name Cayr-Merdin cald they tooke their way There the wise Merlin whylome wont they say To make his wonne low vnderneath the ground In a deepe delue farre from the vew of day That of no liuing wight he mote be found When so he counseld with his sprights encōpast round And if thou euer happen that same way To trauell goe to see that dreadfull place It is an hideous hollow caue they say Vnder a rocke that lyes a litle space From the swift Barry tombling downe apace Emongst the woodie hilles of Dyneuowre But dare thou not I charge in any cace To enter into that same balefull Bowre For fear the cruell Feends should thee vnwares deuowre But standing high aloft low lay thine eare And there such ghastly noise of yron chaines And brasen Caudrons thou shalt rombling heare Which thousand sprights with long enduring paines Doe tosse that it will stonne thy feeble braines And oftentimes great grones and grieuous stounds When too huge toile and labour them constraines And oftentimes loud strokes and ringing sounds From vnder that deepe Rocke most horribly rebounds The cause some say is this A litle while Before that Merlin dyde he did intend A brasen wall in compas to compile About Cairmardin and did it commend Vnto these Sprights to bring to perfect end During which worke the Ladie of the Lake Whom long he lou'd for him in hast did send Who thereby forst his workemen to forsake Them bound till his returne their labour not to slake In the meane time through that false Ladies traine He was surprisd and buried vnder beare Ne euer to his worke returnd againe Nath'lesse those feends may not their worke forbeare So greatly his commaundement they feare But there doe toyle and trauell day and night Vntill that brasen wall they vp doe reare For Merlin had in Magicke more insight Then euer him before or after liuing wight For he by words could call out of the sky Both Sunne and Moone and make them him obay The land to sea and sea to maineland dry And darkesome night he eke could turne to day Huge hostes of men he could alone dismay And hostes of men of meanest things could frame When so him list his enimies to fray That to this day for terror of his fame The feends do quake when any him to them does name And sooth men say that he was not the sonne Of mortall Syre or other liuing wight But wondrously begotten and begonne By false illusion of a guilefull Spright On a faire Ladie Nonne that whilome hight Matilda daughter to Pubidius Who was the Lord of Mathrauall by right And coosen vnto king Ambrosius Whence he indued was with skill so maruellous They here ariuing staid a while without Ne durst aduenture rashly in to wend But of their first intent gan make new dout For dread of daunger which it might portend Vntill the hardie Mayd with loue to frend First entering the dreadfull Mage there found Deepe busied bout worke of wondrous end And writing strange characters in the ground With which the stubborn feends he to his seruice bound He nought was moued at their entrance bold For of their comming well he wist afore Yet list them bid their businesse to vnfold As if ought in this world in secret store Were from him hidden or vnknowne of yore Then Glauce thus let not it thee offend That we thus rashly through thy darkesome dore Vnwares haue prest for either fatall end Or other mightie cause vs two did hither send He bad tell on And then she thus began Now haue three Moones with borrow'd brothers light Thrice shined faire and thrice seem'd dim and wan Sith a sore euill which this virgin bright Tormenteth and doth plonge in dolefull plight First rooting tooke but what thing it mote bee Or whence it sprong I cannot read aright But this I read that but if remedee Thou her afford full shortly I her dead shall see Therewith th' Enchaunter softly gan to smyle At her smooth speeches weeting inly well That she to him dissembled womanish guyle And to her said Beldame by that ye tell More need of leach-craft hath your Damozell Then of my skill who helpe may haue elsewhere In vaine seekes wonders out of Magicke spell Th' old woman wox half blanck those words to heare And yet was loth to let her purpose plaine appeare And to him said If any leaches skill Or other learned meanes could haue redrest This my deare daughters deepe engraffed ill Certes I should be loth thee to molest But this sad euill which doth her infest Doth course of naturall cause farre exceed And housed is within her hollow brest That either seemes some cursed witches deed Or euill spright that in her doth such torment breed The wisard could no lenger beare her bord But brusting forth in laughter to her sayd Glauce what needs this colourable word To cloke the cause that hath it selfe bewrayd Ne ye faire Britomartis thus arayd More hidden are then Sunne in cloudy vele Whom thy good fortune hauing
fate obayd Hath hither brought for succour to appele The which the powres to thee are pleased to reuele The doubtfull Mayd seeing her selfe descryde Was all abasht and her pure yuory Into a cleare Carnation suddeine dyde As faire Aurora rising hastily Doth by her blushing tell that she did lye All night in old Tithonus frosen bed Whereof she seemes ashamed inwardly But her old Nourse was nought dishartened But vauntage made of that which Merlin had ared And sayd Sith then thou knowest all our griefe For what doest not thou know of grace I pray Pitty our plaint and yield vs meet reliefe With that the Prophet still a while did stay And then his spirite thus gan forth display Most noble Virgin that by fatall lore Hast learn'd to loue let no whit thee dismay The hard begin that meets thee in the dore And with sharpe fits thy tender hart oppresseth sore For so must all things excellent begin And eke enrooted deepe must be that Tree Whose big embodied braunches shall not lin Till they to heauens hight forth stretched bee For from thy wombe a famous Progenie Shall spring out of the auncient Troian blood Which shall reuiue the sleeping memorie Of those same antique Peres the heauens brood Which Greece and Asian riuers stained with their blood Renowmed kings and sacred Emperours Thy fruitfull Ofspring shall from thee descend Braue Captaines and most mighty warriours That shall their conquests through all lands extend And their decayed kingdomes shall amend The feeble Britons broken with long warre They shall vpreare and mightily defend Against their forrein foe that comes from farre Till vniuersall peace compound all ciuill iarre It was not Britomart thy wandring eye Glauncing vnwares in charmed looking glas But the streight course of heauenly destiny Led with eternall prouidence that has Guided thy glaunce to bring his will to pas Ne is thy fate ne is thy fortune ill To loue the prowest knight that euer was Therefore submit thy wayes vnto his will And do by all dew meanes thy destiny fulfill But read said Glauce thou Magitian What meanes shall she out seeke or what wayes take How shall she know how shall she find the man Or what needs her to toyle sith fates can make Way for themselues their purpose to partake Then Merlin thus Indeed the fates are firme And may not shrinck though all the world do shake Yet ought mens good endeuours them confirme And guide the heauenly causes to their constant terme The man whom heauens haue ordaynd to bee The spouse of Britomart is Arthegall He wonneth in the land of Fayeree Yet is no Fary borne ne sib at all To Elfes but sprong of seed terrestriall And whilome by false Faries stolne away Whiles yet in infant cradle he did crall Ne other to himselfe is knowne this day But that he by an Elfe was gotten of a Fay. But sooth he is the sonne of Gorlois And brother vnto Cador Cornish king And for his warlike feates renowmed is From where the day out of the sea doth spring Vntill the closure of the Euening From thence him firmely bound with faithfull band To this his natiue soyle thou backe shalt bring Strongly to aide his countrey to withstand The powre of forrein Paynims which inuade thy land Great aid thereto his mighty puissaunce And dreaded name shall giue in that sad day Where also proofe of thy prow valiaunce Thou then shalt make t' increase thy louers pray Long time ye both in armes shall beare great sway Till thy wombes burden thee from them do call And his last fate him from thee take away Too rathe cut off by practise criminall Of secret foes that him shall make in mischiefe fall Where thee yet shall he leaue for memory Of his late puissaunce his Image dead That liuing him in all actiuity To thee shall represent He from the head Of his coosin Constantius without dread Shall take the crowne that was his fathers right And therewith crowne himselfe in th' others stead Then shall he issew forth with dreadfull mighty Against his Saxon foes in bloudy field to fight Like as a Lyon that in drowsie caue Hath long time slept himselfe so shall he shake And comming forth shall spred his banner braue Ouer the troubled South that it shall make The warlike Mertians for feare to quake Thrise shall he fight with them and twise shall win But the third time shall faire accordaunce make And if he then with victorie can lin He shall his dayes with peace bring to his earthly In. His sonne hight Vortipore shall him succeede In kingdome but not in felicity Yet shall he long time warre with happy speed And with great honour many battels try But at the last to th'importunity Of froward fortune shall be forst to yield But his sonne Malgo shall full mightily Auenge his fathers losse with speare and shield And his proud foes discomfit in victorious field Behold the man and tell me Britomart If ay more goodly creature thou didst see How like a Gyaunt in each manly part Beares he himselfe with portly maiestee That one of th' old Heroes seemes to bee He the six Islands comprouinciall In auncient times vnto great Britainee Shall to the same reduce and to him call Their sundry kings to do their homage seuerall All which his sonne Careticus awhile Shall well defend and Saxons powre suppresse Vntill a straunger king from vnknowne soyle Arriuing him with multitude oppresse Great Gormond hauing with huge mightinesse Ireland subdewd and therein fixt his throne Like a swift Otter fell through emptinesse Shall ouerswim the sea with many one Of his Norueyses to assist the Britons fone He in his furie all shall ouerrunne And holy Church with faithlesse hands deface That thy sad people vtterly fordonne Shall to the vtmost mountaines fly apace Was neuer so great wast in any place Nor so fowle autrage doen by liuing men For all thy Cities they shall sacke and race And the greene grasse that groweth they shall bren That euen the wild beast shall dy in starued den Whiles thus the Britons do in languour pine Proud Etheldred shall from the North arise Seruing th' ambitious will of Augustine And passing Dee with hardy enterprise Shall backe repulse the valiaunt Brockwell twise And Bangor with massacred Martyrs fill But the third time shall rew his foolhardise For Cadwan pittying his peoples ill Shall stoutly him defeat and thousand Saxons kill But after him Cadwallin mightily On his sonne Edwin all those wrongs shall wreake Ne shall auaile the wicked sorcery Of false Pellite his purposes to breake But him shall slay and on a gallowes bleake Shall giue th' enchaunter his vnhappy hire Then shall the Britons late dismayd and weake From their long vassalage gin to respire And on their Paynim foes auenge their ranckled ire Ne shall he yet his wrath so mitigate Till both the sonnes of Edwin he haue slaine Offricke and Osricke twinnes vnfortunate Both slaine in battell vpon Layburne