That forced him to stoupe upon his knee :
Had he not stouped so; he should have cloven bee.
And to him said; "Goe now, proud miscreant,
Thyself thy message do to german beare;
Alone he, wandring, thee too long doth want:
Goe say, his foe thy shield with his doth beare."
Therewith his heavie hand he high gan reare,
Him to have slaine: when lo! a darkesome clowd
Upon him fell; he no where doth appeare,
But vanisht is. The Elfe him calls alowd,
But answer none receives; the darkness him does
shrowd.
In haste Duessa from her place arose,
And to him running sayd; "O prowest knight,
That ever ladie to her love did chose,
Let now abate the terrour of your might,
And quench the flame of furious despight
And bloodie vengeance: lo! th' infernall powres,
Covering your foe with cloud of deadly night,
Have borne him hence to Plutoes balefull bowres:
The conquest yours; I yours; the shield and glory
yours!"
Not all so satisfide, with greedy eye
He sought, all round about, his thirsty blade
To bathe in blood of faithlesse enimy;
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 soveraine queene;
And, falling her before on lowly knee,
To her makes present of his service seene:
Which she accepts with thankes and goodly gree,
Greatly advauncing his gay chevalree<:
So marcheth home, and by her takes the knight,
Whom all the people followe with great glee,
Shouting, and clapping all their hands on hight,
That all the ayre it fils, and flyes to Heaven bright.
Home is he brought, and layd in sumptuous bed:
Where many skilfull leaches him abide
To salve his hurts, that yet still freshly bled.
In wine and oyle they wash his woundes wide,
And softly gan embalme on everie side.
And all the while most heavenly melody
About the bed sweet musicke did divide,
Him to beguile of griefe and agony :
And all the while Duessa wept full bitterly.
As when a wearie traveiler, that strays
By muddy shore of broad seven-mouthed Nile,
Unweeting of the perillous wandring wayes,
Doth meete a cruell craftie crocodile,
Which, in false griefe hyding his harmefull guile,
Doth weepe full sore, and sheddeth tender teares;
The foolish man, that pities all this while
His mournefull plight, is swallowed up unwares; Forgetfull of his owne, that mindes an others cares.
So wept Duessa untill eventyde,
That shyning lampes in loves high house were light: Then forth she rose, ne lenger would abide;
Under them never sat, ne wont there sound
His merry oaten pipe; but shund th' unlucky g
But this good knight, soone as he them can s
For the coole shade him thither hastly got:
For golden Phœbus, now ymounted hie,
From fiery wheeles of his faire chariot
Hurled his beame so scorching cruel hot,
That living creature mote it not abide
And his new lady it endureth not.
There they alight, in hope themselves to hide
From the fierce heat, and rest their weary
atide.
Faire-seemely pleasaunce each to other makes
With goodly purposes, there as they sit;
And in his falsed fancy he her takes
To be the fairest wight that lived yit;
Which to expresse, he bends his gentle wit;
And, thinking of those braunches greene to fra
A girlond, for her dainty forehead fit,
He pluckt a bough; out of whose rifte there ca
Smal drops of gory bloud, that trickled down
Therewith a piteous yelling voice was heard,
Crying, "O spare with guilty hands to teare
My tender sides in this rough rynd embard :
But fly, ah! fly far hence away, for feare
Least to you hap, that happened to me heare,
And to this wretched lady, my deare love;
O too deare love, love bought with death too deare!"
Astond he stood, and up his heare did hove;
And with that suddein horror could no member
last whenas the dreadful passion
as overpast, and manhood Well awake et musing at the strange occasion.
ad doubting much his sence, he tide eestlak What voice of canule, gros from L, ARRE guileful spright wanining a chat ar Both which traite men woe ofemales Hastah “ ends to my doubttu cares these ScatS TERR nd rurful plants, me blowing guidest w : spare
But comes unto the place, where th' Hethen knight,
In slombring swownd nigh voyd of vitall spright,
Lay cover'd with inchaunted cloud all day :
Whom when she found, as she him left in plight,
To wayle his wofull case she would not stay,
But to the easterne coast of Heaven makes speedy
way:
Where griesly Night, with visage deadly sad,
That Phoebus chearefull face durst never vew,
And in a foule blacke pitchy mantle clad,
She findes forth comming from her darksome mew;
Where she all day did hide her hated hew.
Before the dore her yron charet stood,
Already harnessed for iourney new,
And cole-blacke steedes yborne of hellish brood, That on their rusty 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' unacquainted light began to feare;
(For never did such brightnes there appeare)
And would have backe retyred to her cave,
Untill the witches speach she gan to heare,
Saying; "Yet, O thou dreaded dame, I crave
Abyde, till I have told the message which I have."
She stayd; and foorth Duessa gan procede; "O thou, most auncient grandmother of all,
More old than Iove, whom thou at first didst breede, Or that great house of gods cælestiall;
Which wast begot in Dæmogorgons hall,
|