XL " 'And, with my own, my wedded lord's?' (she cries;) 'I should feel no alarm, if he were here.

Thou knowst Morando, know if deities Or men he in Argaeus' absence fear.

He at this time tries all extremities; Nor servant have I but by threat or prayer He him to further his desire has swayed; Nor know I whither to recur for aid.

XLI " 'Of my lord's absence hearing the report, And that he would not quickly homeward fare, He had the insolence within my court, Upon no other pretext to repair; Who, were my absent lord within his fort, So bold a deer not only would not dare, But would not deem himself secure withal, By Heaven! at three miles' distance from his wall.

XLII " 'And what he erst by messenger had sought, From me to-day has sued for face to face; And in such manner that long time I thought Dishonour must have followed and disgrace; And if I had not humbly him besought, And feigned to yield to him with ready grace, He haply would have ravished that by force, Which he expects to win by milder course.

XLIII " 'I promise, not designing to comply, For void is contract made in fear; alone From his ill purpose would I put him by, And what he then parforce would else have done.

So stands the case: the single remedy Lies in yourself: my honour else is gone, And that of my Argaeus; which as dear, Or more so, than your own you vowed whilere.

XLIV " 'If you refuse me, I shall say, you show That you have not the faith which you pretended, But that in cruelty you said me no, When vainly were my tears on you expended, And no wise for Argaeus' sake, although With this pretext you have yourself defended.

Our loves bad been concealed and free from blame; But here I stand exposed to certain shame.'

XLV " 'To me such preface needs not (said anew The good Philander), bound by amity To my Argaeus still; thy pleasure shew: I what I ever was will be, and I, Although from him I bear such ill undue, Accuse him not; for him would I defy Even death itself; and let the world, allied With my ill destiny, against me side!'

XLVI "The impious woman answered, ' 'Tis my will Thou slay him who would do us foul despite; Nor apprehend to encounter any ill: For I the certain mean will tell aright.

He will return, his purpose to fulfil, At the third hour, when darkest is the night; And, at a preconcerted signal made, Be without noise by me within conveyed.

XLVII " 'Let it not irk thee to await the peer Within my chamber, where no light will be; Till I shall make him doff his warlike gear, And, almost naked, yield him up to thee.'

So did his wife into that quicksand steer Her hapless husband (it appears to me) If wife she rightly could be called; more fell And cruel than a fury sprung from h.e.l.l.

XLVIII "She drew my brother forth, that guilty night, With his good arms in hand, and him again Secreted in the chamber without light, Till thither came the wretched castellain.

As it was ordered, all fell out aright, For seldom ill design is schemed in vain.

So fell Argaeus by Philander's sword, Who for Morando took the castle's lord.

XLIX "One blow divided head and neck; for nought Was there of helm, the warrior to defend.

Without a struggle was Argaeus brought To his unhappy life's disastrous end, And he who slew him never had such thought, Nor this would have believed: to aid his friend Intent, (strange chance!) he wrought him in that blow The worst that could be done by mortal foe.

L "When now, unknown, on earth Argaeus lay, My brother to Gabrina gave the blade, (So was she named) who lived but to betray.

She, who discovery had till then delayed, Wills that Philander with a light survey The man whom he on earth has lifeless laid, And she, with the a.s.sistance of the light, Shows him Argaeus in the murdered wight.

LI "And threatens, save he with desires comply To which her bosom had been long a prey, What he would be unable to deny She to the a.s.sembled household will display, And he like traitor and a.s.sa.s.sin die, Upon her tale, in ignominious way: And minds him fame is not to be despised, Albeit so little life by him be prized.

LII "Philander stood oppressed with grief and fear, When his mistake to him the woman showed, And to have slain her in his wrath went near, And long be doubted, so his choler glowed; And, but that Reason whispered in his ear That he was in an enemy's abode, For lack of faulchion in his empty sheath, He would have torn her piece-meal with his teeth.

LIII "As sometimes vessel by two winds which blow From different points is vext upon the main, And now one speeds the bark an-end, and now Another squall impels her back again; Still on her p.o.o.p a.s.sailed, or on her prow, Till she before the strongest flies amain: Philander, so distraught by two designs, Takes what he pregnant with least ill opines.

LIV "Reason demonstrates with what peril fraught His case, not more with death than lasting stain, If in the castle were that murder taught; Nor any time has he to sift his brain.

Will he or nill he, in conclusion nought Is left him but the bitter cup to drain.

Thus in his troubled heart prevailing more, His fear his resolution overbore.

LV "The fear of shameful punishment's pursuit Made him with many protestations swear To grant in every thing Gabrina's suit, If from the fortilage they safely fare.

So plucks that impious dame, parforce, the fruit Of her desires, and thence retreat the pair.

Thus home again the young Philander came, Leaving behind him a polluted name;

LVI "And deeply graven in his bosom bore The image of his friend so rashly slain; By this to purchase, to his torment sore, A Progne, a Medea; impious gain!

-- And but his knightly faith, and oaths he swore, Were to his fury as a curbing rein, From him when safe she would have met her fate; But lived subjected to his bitterest hate.

LVII "Thenceforth he nevermore was seen to smile: All his discourse was sad, and still ensued Sobs from his breast; afflicted in the style Of vext Orestes, when he in his mood Had slain his mother and Aegysthus vile; By vengeful furies for the deed pursued.

Till broken by the ceaseless grief he fed, He sickened and betook himself to bed.

LVIII "Now in the harlot, when she had discerned This other set by her so little store, The former amorous flame was quickly turned Into despiteous rage and hatred sore; Nor with less wrath she towards my brother burned Than for Argaeus she had felt before; And she disposed herself, in treasons versed, To slay her second husband like the first.

LIX "Of a deceitful leech she made a.s.say, Well fitted for the work she had in hand, Who better knew what deadly poisons slay Than he the force of healing syrup scanned; And promised him his service to repay With a reward exceeding his demand, When he should, with some drink of deadly might, Of her detested husband rid her sight.

LX "In presence of myself and more beside, The wicked elder, with his deadly dole, Approaching my unhappy brother, cried, 'It was a sovereign drink to make him whole.'

But here a new device Gabrina tried, And, ere the sickly man could taste the bowl, To rid her of accomplice in the deed, Or to defraud him of his promised meed;

LXI "Seized on his hand, the instant he presented The poison to my brother. 'Ill my fear, (Exclaimed the dame) by you would be resented, Excited for a spouse I hold so dear.

I, that the beverage has not been fermented With evil drug and poisonous, will be clear; Nor deem it meet that you to him convey The proffered bowl, unless you take the say.'

LXII "In what condition think you, sir, remained The wretched elder by his fears opprest?

Thus by the woman's suddenness constrained, He had no time for thinking what were best.

He, lest more doubt of him be entertained, Tastes of the chalice, at Gabrina's hest; And the sick man, emboldened so, drinks up All the remainder of the poisoned cup.

LXIII "As the trained hawk of crooked talon who Clutches the partridge, when about to eat, Is by the dog, she deems her comrade true, O'ertaken and defrauded of the meat; So on ill gain intent, the leech, in lieu Of the expected aid, received defeat.

Hear, thus, what sovereign wickedness will dare, And be like fate each greedy miscreant's share!

LXIV "This past and done, the leech would homeward speed, That he, to counteract the pest he bore Within his bowels, in this fearful need, Might use some secret of his cunning lore; But this the wicked dame would not concede, Forbidding him to issue thence before His patient's stomach should the juice digest, And its restoring power be manifest.

LXV "No prayer will move, nor offered price will buy The woman's leave to let him thence depart.

The desperate man who saw that death was nigh, And sure to follow, quickly changed his part; And told the story to the standers-by; Nor could she cover it with all her art.

Thus what he wont to do by many a one, That goodly doctor by himself has done;

LXVI "And follows with his soul my brother true, That hence, already freed, was gone before.

We, the a.s.sistants, that the matter knew From the old man who lingered little more, Took that abominable monster, who More cruel was than beast in forest h.o.a.r, And, prisoned in a darksome place, reserved To perish in the fire, as she deserved."

LXVII So said Hermonides, and had pursued His tale, and told how she from prison fled; But suffered from his wound a pang so shrewd, He fell reversed upon his gra.s.sy bed.

Meanwhile two squires, who served him in the wood, A rustic bier of st.u.r.dy branches spread.

Their master upon this the servants lay, Who could not thence be borne in other way.

LXVIII Zerbino, in excuse, a.s.sured the peer, He grieved so good a knight to have offended; But, as was still the use of cavalier, Had guarded her who in his guidance wended; Nor had he else preserved his honour clear: For when the dame was to his care commended, Her to defend his promise he had plight From all men, to the utmost of his might.

LXIX He, if he might, is any thing beside, Would readily a.s.sist him in his need.

-- His only wish, (the cavalier replied,) Was, he might be from ill Gabrina freed, Ere him some mighty mischief should betide, Of future penitence the bitter seed.

Gabrina keeps on earth her downcast eye; For ill the simple truth admits reply.

LXX Zerbino thence, upon the promised way, With the old woman in his escort, went, And inly cursed her all the livelong day, That in her cause that baron he had shent.

And having heard the knight her guilt display, Who was instructed in her evil bent, He -- if before he had her at despite -- So loathed her, she was poison to his sight.

LXXI Well read in young Zerbino's hate, the dame Would not by him in malice be outdone, Nor bated him an inch, but in that game Of deadly hatred set him two for one.

Her face was with the venom in a flame Wherewith her swelling bosom overrun.

'Twas thus in such concord as I say, These through the ancient wood pursued their way.

LXXII When, lo! as it is now nigh eventide, They a mixt sound of blows and outcries hear, Which seem a sign of battle fiercely plied, And (as the deafening noise demonstrates) near.

To mark what this might be, towards that side Whence came the tumult, moved the Scottish peer; Nor is in following him Gabrina slow: What chanced in other canto you shall know.

CANTO 22