Page images
PDF
EPUB

Remounted up as light as chearefull larke;
And on his litle winges the Dreame he bore
In hast unto his lord, where he him left afore.

Who all this while, with charmes and hidden artes,
Had made a lady of that other spright,

And fram'd of liquid ayre her tender partes,
So lively, and so like in all mens sight,

That weaker sence it could have ravisht quight:
The maker selfe, for all his wandrous witt,
Was nigh beguiled with so goodly sight.
Her all in white he clad, and over it,

Cast a black stole, most like to seeme for Una fit.

Now when that ydle Dreame was to him brought,
Unto that Elfin knight he bad him fly,

Where he slept soundly, void of evil thought,
And with false shewes abusd his fantasy;

In sort as he him schooled privily.

And that new creature, borne without her dew,
Full of the makers guyle, with usage sly

He taught to imitate that lady trew,

Whose semblance she did carrie under feigned hew

Thus, well instructed, to their worke they haste;
And, comming where the knight in slomber lay,
The one upon his hardie head him plaste,
And made him dreame of loves and lustfull play;
That nigh his manly hart did melt away,
Bathed in wanton blis and wicked ioy.

Then seemed him his lady by him lay,

And to him playnd, how that false winged boy Her chaste hart had subdewd to learne dame Plea

sures toy.

And she her selfe, of beautie soveraigne queene,
Fayre Venus, seemde unto his bed to bring
Her, whom he, waking, evermore did weene
To bee the chastest flowre that aye did spring
An earthly braunch, the daughter of a king,
Now a loose leman to vile service bound:
And eke the Graces seemed all to sing,
Hymen, Io Hymen, dauncing all around;
Whylst freshest Flora her with yvie girlone crownd.

In this great passion of unwonted lust,
Or wonted feare of doing ought amis,
He starteth up, as seeming to mistrust
Some secret ill, or hidden foe of his :
Lo, there before his face his ladie is,
Under blacke stole hyding her bayted hooke;
And as halfe blushing offred him to kis,

With gentle blandishment and lovely looke, [took.
Most like that virgin true, which for her knight him

All cleane dismayd to see so ùncouth sight,
And halfe enraged at her shamelesse guise,
He thought have slaine her in his fierce despight;
But, hastie heat tempring with sufferance wise,
He stayde his hand; and gan himselfe advise
To prove his sense, and tempt her faigned truth.
Wringing her hands, in wemens pitteous wise,
Tho can she weepe, to stirre up gentle ruth
Both for her noble blood, and for her tender youth.

And sayd, "Ah, sir, my liege lord, and my love,
Shall I accuse the hidden cruell fate,

And mightie causes wrought in Heaven above,

Or the blind god, that doth me thus amale,
For hoped love to winne me certaine hate?
Yet thus perforce he bids me do, or die.
Die is my dew; yet rew my wretched state,
You, whom my hard avenging destinie
Hath made iudge of my life or death indifferently.

"Your owne deare sake forst me at first to leave My fathers kingdom"-There she stopt with teares; Her swollen hart her speech seemd to bereave; And then againe begun; "My weaker yeares, Captiv'd to fortune and frayle worldly feares, Fly to your fayth for succour and sure ayde: Let me not die in languor and long teares." "Why, dame," quoth he, "what hath ye thus dismayd? [frayd?" What frays ye, that were wont to comfort me af

"Love of yourselfe," she saide, "and deare constraint,

Lets me not sleepe, but waste the wearie night
In secret anguish and unpittied plaint,

Whiles you in carelesse sleepe are drowned quight."
Her doubtfull words made that redoubted knight
Suspect her truth; yet since no' untruth he knew,
Her fawning love with foule disdainefull spight
He would not shend; but said, "Deare dame, I rew,
That for my sake unknowne such griefe unto you
grew:

"Assure your selfe, it fell not all to ground; For all so deare, as life is to my hart,

I deeme your love, and hold me to you bound: Ne let vaine fears procure your needlesse smart, Where cause is none; but to your rest depart."

Not all content, yet seemd she to appease

Her mourneful plaintes, beguiled of her art,
And fep with words, that could not chose but please:
So, slyding softly forth, she turnd as to her ease.

Long after lay he musing at her mood,

Much griev'd to thinke that gentle dame so light,
For whose defence he was to shed his blood.
At last dull weariness of former fight

Having yrockt asleepe his irksome spriget,
That troublous Dreame gan freshly tosse his braine
With bowres, and beds, and ladies deare delight:
But, when he saw his labour all was vaine,

With that misformed spright he backe returnd againe.

CANTO II.

The guilefull great enchaunter parts
The Redcrosse knight from truth:
Into whose stead faire Falshood steps,
And workes him woefull ruth.

By this the northerne wagoner had set
His sevenfold teme behind the stedfast starre
That was in ocean waves yet never wet,
But firme is fixt, and sendeth light from farre
To all that in the wide deepe wandring arre;
And chearefull chaunticlere with his note shrill
Had warned once, that Phoebus fiery carre
In hast was climbing up the easterne hill,
Full envious that Night so long his roome did fil :
VOL. II.

D

When those accursed messengers of Hell,

That feigning Dreame, and that faire-forged spright,
Came to their wicked maister, and gan tell
Their bootelesse paines, and ill-succeeding night :
Who, all in rage to see his skilfull might
Deluded so, gan threaten hellish paine

And sad Proserpines wrath, them to affright.
But, when he saw his threatning was but vaine,
He cast about, and searcht his baleful bokes againe.

Eftsoones he tooke that miscreated Faire,
And that false other spright, on whom he spred
A seeming body of the subtle aire,

Like a young squire, in loves and lustyhed
His wanton daies that ever loosely led,
Without regard of armes and dreaded fight;
Those two he tooke, and in a secrete bed,
Covered with darkenes and misdeeming night,
Them both together laid, to ioy in vaine delight.

Forthwith he runnes with feigned-faithfull hast
Unto his guest, who, after troublous sights
And dreames, gan now to take more sound repast;
Whom suddenly he wakes with fearful frights,
As one aghast with feends or damned sprights,
And to him calls; "Rise, rise, unhappy swaine,
That here wex old in sleepe, whiles wicked wights
Have knit themselves in Venus shameful chaine :
Come, see where your false lady doth her honor
staine."

All in a maze he suddenly up start

With sword in hand, and with the old man went; Who soone him brought into a secret part,

« PreviousContinue »