That when the knight he spide, he gan advance With huge force and insupportable mayne, And towardes him with dreadfull fury praunce; Who haplesse, and eke hopelesse, all in vaine 90 Did to him pace, sad battaile to darrayne, Disarmd, disgrast, and inwardly dismayde, And eke so faint in every joynt and vaine, Through that fraile fountaine, which him feeble made, That sca.r.s.ely could he weeld his bootlesse single blade.

XII

95 The Geaunt strooke so maynly mercilesse, That could have overthrowne a stony towre, And were not heavenly grace, that did him blesse, He had beene pouldred all, as thin as flowre: But he was wary of that deadly stowre, 100 And lightly lept from underneath the blow: Yet so exceeding was the villeins powre, That with the wind it did him overthrow, And all his sences stound, that still he lay full low.

XIII

As when that divelish yron Engin wrought 105 In deepest h.e.l.l, and framd by Furies skill, With windy Nitre and quick Sulphur fraught, And ramd with bullet round, ordaind to kill, Conceiveth fire, the heavens it doth fill With thundring noyse, and all the ayre doth choke, 110 That none can breath, nor see, nor heare at will, Through smouldry cloud of duskish stincking smoke, That th' onely breath him daunts, who hath escapt the stroke.

XIV

So daunted when the Geaunt saw the knight, His heavie hand he heaved up on hye, 115 And him to dust thought to have battred quight, Untill Duessa loud to him gan crye; O great Orgoglio, greatest under skye, O hold thy mortall hand for Ladies sake, Hold for my sake, and do him not to dye, 120 But vanquisht thine eternall bondslave make, And me, thy worthy meed, unto thy Leman take.

XV

He hearkned, and did stay from further harmes, To gayne so goodly guerdon, as she spake: So willingly she came into his armes, 125 Who her as willingly to grace did take, And was possessed of his new found make.

Then up he tooke the s...o...b..ed sencelesse corse, And ere he could out of his swowne awake, Him to his castle brought with hastie forse, 130 And in a Dongeon deepe him threw without remorse.

XVI

From that day forth Duessa was his deare, And highly honourd in his haughtie eye, He gave her gold and purple pall to weare, And triple crowne set on her head full hye, 135 And her endowd with royall majestye: Then for to make her dreaded more of men, And peoples harts with awfull terrour tye, A monstrous beast ybred in filthy fen He chose, which he had kept long time in darksome den.

XVII

140 Such one it was, as that renowmed Snake Which great Alcides in Stremona slew, Long fostred in the filth of Lerna lake, Whose many heads out budding ever new Did breed him endlesse labour to subdew: 145 But this same Monster much more ugly was; For seven great heads out of his body grew, An yron brest, and back of scaly bras, And all embrewd in bloud, his eyes did shine as glas.

XVIII

His tayle was stretched out in wondrous length, 150 That to the house of heavenly G.o.ds it raught, And with extorted powre, and borrow'd strength, The ever-burning lamps from thence it braught, And prowdly threw to ground, as things of naught; And underneath his filthy feet did tread 155 The sacred things, and holy heasts foretaught.

Upon this dreadfull Beast with sevenfold head He sett the false Duessa, for more aw and dread.

XIX

The wofull Dwarfe, which saw his maisters fall, Whiles he had keeping of his grasing steed, 160 And valiant knight become a caytive thrall, When all was past, tooke up his forlorne weed, His mightie armour, missing most at need; His silver shield, now idle maisterlesse; His poynant speare, that many made to bleed, 165 The rueful moniments of heavinesse, And with them all departes, to tell his great distresse.

XX

He had not travaild long, when on the way He wofull Ladie, wofull Una met, Fast flying from that Paynims greedy pray, 170 Whilest Satyrane him from pursuit did let: Who when her eyes she on the Dwarfe had set, And saw the signes, that deadly tydings spake, She fell to ground for sorrowfull regret, And lively breath her sad brest did forsake, 175 Yet might her pitteous hart be seene to pant and quake.

XXI

The messenger of so unhappie newes, Would faine have dyde: dead was his hart within, Yet outwardly some little comfort shewes: At last recovering hart, he does begin 180 To rub her temples, and to chaufe her chin, And everie tender part does tosse and turne.

So hardly he the flitted life does win, Unto her native prison to retourne: Then gins her grieved ghost thus to lament and mourne.

XXII

185 Ye dreary instruments of dolefull sight, That doe this deadly spectacle behold, Why do ye lenger feed on loathed light, Or liking find to gaze on earthly mould, Sith cruell fates the carefull threeds unfould, 190 The which my life and love together tyde?

Now let the stony dart of senselesse cold Perce to my hart, and pas through every side, And let eternall night so sad sight fro me hide.

XXIII

O lightsome day, the lampe of highest Jove, 195 First made by him, mens wandring wayes to guyde, When darkenesse he in deepest dongeon drove, Henceforth thy hated face for ever hyde, And shut up heavens windowes shyning wyde: For earthly sight can nought but sorrow breed, 200 And late repentance, which shall long abyde.

Mine eyes no more on vanitie shall feed, But seeled up with death, shall have their deadly meed.

XXIV

Then downe againe she fell unto the ground; But he her quickly reared up againe: 205 Thrise did she sinke adowne in deadly swownd And thrise he her reviv'd with busie paine, At last when life recover'd had the raine, And over-wrestled his strong enemie, With foltring tong, and trembling every vaine, 210 Tell on (quoth she) the wofull Tragedie, The which these reliques sad present unto mine eie.

XXV

Tempestuous fortune hath spent all her spight, And thrilling sorrow throwne his utmost dart; Thy sad tongue cannot tell more heavy plight, 215 Then that I feele, and harbour in mine hart: Who hath endur'd the whole, can beare each part.

If death it be, it is not the first wound, That launched hath my brest with bleeding smart.

Begin, and end the bitter balefull stound; 220 If lesse then that I feare, more favour I have found.

XXVI

Then gan the Dwarfe the whole discourse declare, The subtill traines of Archimago old; The wanton loves of false Fidessa faire, Bought with the blood of vanquisht Paynim bold; 225 The wretched payre transformed to treen mould; The house of Pride, and perils round about; The combat, which he with Sansjoy did hould; The lucklesse conflict with the Gyant stout, Wherein captiv'd, of life or death he stood in doubt.

XXVII

230 She heard with patience all unto the end, And strove to maister sorrowfull a.s.say, Which greater grew, the more she did contend, And almost rent her tender hart in tway; And love fresh coles unto her fire did lay: 235 For greater love, the greater is the losse.

Was never Lady loved dearer day, Then she did love the knight of the Redcrosse; For whose deare sake so many troubles her did tosse.

XXVIII

At last when fervent sorrow slaked was, 240 She up arose, resolving him to find Alive or dead: and forward forth doth pas, All as the Dwarfe the way to her a.s.synd: And evermore, in constant carefull mind, She fed her wound with fresh renewed bale; 245 Long tost with stormes, and bet with bitter wind, High over hills, and low adowne the dale, She wandred many a wood, and measurd many a vale.

XXIX

At last she chaunced by good hap to meet A goodly knight, faire marching by the way 250 Together with his Squire, arrayed meet: His glitterand armour shined farre away, Like glauncing light of Phbus brightest ray; From top to toe no place appeared bare, That deadly dint of steele endanger may: 255 Athwart his brest a bauldrick brave he ware, That shynd, like twinkling stars, with stons most pretious rare.

x.x.x

And in the midst thereof one pretious stone Of wondrous worth, and eke of wondrous mights, Shapt like a Ladies head, exceeding shone, 260 Like Hesperus emongst the lesser lights, And strove for to amaze the weaker sights: Thereby his mortall blade full comely hong In yvory sheath, ycarv'd with curious slights; Whose hilts were burnisht gold, and handle strong 265 Of mother pearle, and buckled with a golden tong.

x.x.xI

His haughtie helmet, horrid all with gold, Both glorious brightnesse, and great terrour bred; For all the crest a Dragon did enfold With greedie pawes, and over all did spred 270 His golden wings: his dreadfull hideous hed Close couched on the bever, seem'd to throw From flaming mouth bright sparkles fierie red, That suddeine horror to faint harts did show, And scaly tayle was stretcht adowne his backe full low.

x.x.xII

275 Upon the top of all his loftie crest, A bunch of haires discolourd diversly, With sprincled pearle, and gold full richly drest, Did shake, and seemd to daunce for jollity, Like to an Almond tree ymounted hye 280 On top of greene Selinis all alone, With blossoms brave bedecked daintily; Whose tender locks do tremble every one At every little breath that under heaven is blowne.

x.x.xIII

His warlike shield all closely cover'd was, 285 Ne might of mortall eye be ever seene; Not made of steele, nor of enduring bras, Such earthly mettals soone consumed beene; But all of Diamond perfect pure and cleene It framed was, one ma.s.sie entire mould, 290 Hewen out of Adamant rocke with engines keene, That point of speare it never percen could, Ne dint of direfull sword divide the substance would.

x.x.xIV

The same to wight he never wont disclose, But when as monsters huge he would dismay, 295 Or daunt unequall armies of his foes, Or when the flying heavens he would affray; For so exceeding shone his glistring ray, That Phbus golden face it did attaint, As when a cloud his beames doth over-lay; 300 And silver Cynthia wexed pale and faint, As when her face is staynd with magicke arts constraint.

x.x.xV

No magicke arts hereof had any might, Nor bloudie wordes of bold Enchaunters call; But all that was not such as seemd in sight, 305 Before that shield did fade, and suddeine fall; And, when him list the raskall routes appall, Men into stones therewith he could transmew, And stones to dust, and dust to nought at all; And when him list the prouder lookes subdew, 310 He would them gazing blind, or turne to other hew.

x.x.xVI

Ne let it seeme, that credence this exceedes, For he that made the same, was knowne right well To have done much more admirable deedes.

It Merlin was, which whylome did excell 315 All living wightes in might of magicke spell: Both shield, and sword, and armour all he wrought For this young Prince, when first to armes he fell; But when he dyde, the Faerie Queene it brought To Faerie lond, where yet it may be seene, if sought.

x.x.xVII

320 A gentle youth, his dearely loved Squire, His speare of heben wood behind him bare, Whose harmefull head, thrice heated in the fire, Had riven many a brest with pikehead square: A goodly person, and could menage faire 325 His stubborne steed with curbed canon bit, Who under him did trample as the aire, And chauft, that any on his backe should sit; The yron rowels into frothy fome he bit.

x.x.xVIII

When as this knight nigh to the Ladie drew, 330 With lovely court he gan her entertaine; But when he heard her answeres loth, he knew Some secret sorrow did her heart distraine: Which to allay, and calme her storming paine, Faire feeling words he wisely gan display, 335 And for her humour fitting purpose faine, To tempt the cause it selfe for to bewray; Wherewith emmov'd, these bleeding words she gan to say.

x.x.xIX

What worlds delight, or joy of living speach Can heart, so plung'd in sea of sorrowes deep, 340 And heaped with so huge misfortunes, reach?

The carefull cold beginneth for to creepe, And in my heart his yron arrow steepe, Soone as I thinke upon my bitter bale: Such helplesse harmes yts better hidden keepe, 345 Then rip up griefe, where it may not availe, My last left comfort is, my woes to weepe and waile.

XL

Ah Ladie deare, quoth then the gentle knight, Well may I weene your griefe is wondrous great; For wondrous great griefe groneth in my spright, 350 Whiles thus I heare you of your sorrowes treat.

But wofull Ladie, let me you intrete For to unfold the anguish of your hart: Mishaps are maistred by advice discrete, And counsell mittigates the greatest smart; 355 Found never helpe who never would his hurts impart.