"Whiles thus thy Britons doe in languour pine,
Proud Etheldred shall from the north arise,
Serving 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 fool-hardise :
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 availe the wicked sorcery

Of false Pellite his purposes to breake,
But him shall slay, and on a gallowes bleak
Shall give th' enchaunter his unhappy hire:
Then shall the Britons, late dismayd and weake,
From their long vassallage gin to respire,

And on their Paynim foes avenge their wranckled ire.

"Ne shall he yet his wrath so mitigate,

Till both the sonnes of Edwin he have slayne,
Offricke and Osricke, twinnes unfortunate,
Both slaine in battaile upon Layburne playne,
Together with the king of Louthiane,
Hight Adin, and the king of Orkeny,

Both joynt partakers of their fatall payne:
But Penda, fearefull of like desteney,

"Then woe, and woe, and everlasting woe,
Be to the Briton babe that shal be borne
To live in thraldome of his fathers foe!
Late king, now captive; late lord, now forlorne;
The worlds reproch; the cruell victors scorne;
Banisht from princely bowre to wasteful wood!
O! who shall helpe me to lament and mourne
The royall seed, the antique Trojan blood,
Whose empire lenger here then ever any stood !"

The damzell was full deepe empassioned
Both for his griefe, and for her peoples sake,
Whose future woes so plaine he fashioned;
And, sighing sore, at length him thus bespake;
"Ah! but will Hevens fury never slake,
Nor vengeaunce huge relent itselfe at last?
Will not long misery late mercy make,
But shall their name for ever be defaste, [raste?"
And quite from off the Earth their memory be

"Him shall he make his fatali instrument
T' afflict the other Saxons unsubdewd:
He marching forth with fury insolent
Against the good king Oswald, who indewd
With heavenly powre, and by angels reskewd,
All holding crosses in their handes on hye,
Shall him defeate withouten blood imbrewd:
Of which that field for endlesse memory
Shall Hevenfield be cald to all posterity.

"Whereat Cadwallin wroth shall forth issew,
And an huge hoste into Northumber lead,
With which he godly Oswald shall subdew,
And crowne with martiredome his sacred head:
Whose brother Oswin, daunted with like dread,
With price of silver shall his kingdome buy;
And Penda, seeking him adowne to tread,
Shall tread adowne, and doe him fowly dye;
But shall with gifts his lord Cadwallin pacify.

"Then shall Cadwallin die; and then the raine
Of Britons eke with him attonce shall dye;
Ne shall the good Cadwallader, with paine
Or powre, be hable it to remedy,
When the full time, prefixt by destiny,
Shall be expird of Britons regiment:

For Heven itselfe shall their successe envy,
And them with plagues and murrins pestilent
Consume, till all their warlike puissance be spent.

"Yet after all these sorrowes, and huge hills
Of dying people, during eight yeares space,
Cadwallader, not yielding to his ills,
From Armoricke, where long in wretched cace
He liv'd, retourning to his native place,
Shal be by vision staide from his intent:
For th' Heavens have decreed to displace
The Britons for their sinnes dew punishment,
And to the Saxons over-give their government.

faire may see.

"For Rhodoricke, whose surname shal be Great
Shall of himselfe a brave ensample shew,
That Saxon kings his friendship shall intreat;
And Howell Dha shall goodly well indew
The salvage minds with skill of iust and trew:
Then Griffyth Conan also shall upreare
His dreaded head, and the old sparkes renew
Of native corage, that his foes shall feare [beare.
Least back againe the kingdom he from them should

"Ne shall the Saxons selves all peaceably
Enioy the crowne, which they from Britons wonne
First ill, and after ruled wickedly:
For, ere two hundred ycares be full outronne,
There shall a raven, far from rising Sanne,
With his wide wings upon them fiercely fly,
And bid his faithlesse chickens overronne
The fruitfull plaines, and with fell cruelty
In their avenge tread downe the victors surquedry.
"Yet shall a third both these and thine subdew:
There shall a lion from the sea-bord wood
Of Neustria come roring, with a crew
Of hungry whelpes, his battailous bold brood,
Whose clawes were newly dipt in cruddy blood,
That from the Daniske tyrants head shall rend
Th' usurped crowne, as if that he were wood,
And the spoile of the countrey conquered
Emongst his young ones shall divide with bounty hed.

"Tho, when the terme is full accomplishid,
There shall a sparke of fire, which hath longwhile
Bene in his ashes raked up and hid,
Be freshly kindled in the fruitfull ile
Of Mona, where it lurked in exile;
Which shall breake forth into bright burning flame,
And reach into the house that beares the stile
Of royall maiesty and soveraine name: [clame.
So shall the Briton blood their crowne againe re-

"Ah! read," quoth Britomart, "how is she hight?"
"Fayre Angela," quoth she, "men do her call,
No whit lesse fayre then terrible in fight:
She hath the leading of a martiall

And mightie people, dreaded more then all
The other Saxons, which doe, for her sake
And love, themselves of her name Angles call.
Therefore, faire infant, her ensample make
Unto thyselfe, and equall corage to thee take."

Her harty wordes so deepe into the mynd
Of the young damzell sunke, that great desire
Of warlike armes in her forthwith they tynd,
And generous stout courage did inspyre,
That she resolv'd, unweeting to her syre,
Advent'rous knighthood on herselfe to don;
And counseld with her nourse her maides attyre
To turne into a massy habergeon;

And bad her all things put in readiness anon.

Th' old woman nought that needed did omit;
But all thinges did conveniently purvay.
It fortuned (so time their turne did fitt)
A band of Britons, ryding on forray
Few dayes before, had gotten a great pray
Of Saxon goods; emongst the which was seene
A goodly armour, and full rich aray,
Which long'd to Angela, the Saxon queene,
All frotted round with gold and goodly wel beseene.

•he same, with all the other ornaments,
King Ryence caused to be hanged hy
In his chiefe church, for endlesse moniments
Of his successe and gladfull victory:
Of which herselfe avising readily,
In th' evening late old Glaucè thether led
Faire Britomart, and, that same armory
Downe taking, her therein appareled [nished,
Well as she might, and with brave bauldrick gar-

Beside those armes there stood a mightie speare,
Which Bladud made by magick art of yore,
And usd the same in batteill aye to beare;
Sith which it had beene here preserv'd in store,
For his great virtues proved long afore:
For never wight so fast in sell could sit,
But him perforce unto the ground it bore:
Both speare she tooke and shield which hong by it;
Both speare and shield of great powre, for her pur-
pose fit.

Eftsøones, her goodly shield addressing fayre,
That mortall speare she in her hand did take,
And unto battaill did herselfe prepayre.
The knight, approching, sternely her bespake;
"Sir Knight, that doest thy voyage rashly make
By this forbidden way in my despight,
Ne doest by others death ensample take;

I read thee soone retyre, whiles thou hast might,
Least afterwards it be too late to take thy flight."

Ythrild with deepe disdaine of his proud threat,
She shortly thus; "Fly they, that need to fly;
Wordes fearen babes: I meane not thee entreat
To passe; but maugre thee will passe or dy:"
Ne lenger stayd for th' other to reply,
But with sharpespeare the rest made dearly knowne.
Strongly the straunge knight ran, and sturdily
Strooke her full on the brest, that made her downe
Decline her head, and touch her crouper with her

crown.

But she againe him in the shield did smite
With so fierce furie and great puissaunce,
That, through his three-square scuchin percing quite
And through his mayled hauberque, by mischaunce
The wicked steele through his left side did glaunce:

Him so transfixed she before her bore

Beyond his croupe, the length of all her launce; Till, sadly soucing on the sandy shore,

He tombled on an heape, and wallowd in his gore.

Like as the sacred oxe that carelesse stands
With gilden homes and flowry girlonds crownd,
Proud of his dying honor and deare bandes,
Whiles th' altars fume with frankincense arownd,
All suddenly with mortall stroke astownd
Doth groveling fall, and with his streaming gore
Distaines the pillours and the holy grownd,
And the faire flowres that decked him afore:
So fell proud Marinell upon the Pretious Shore.

The martiall mayd stayd not him to lament,
But forward rode, and kept her ready way
Along the strond; which, as she over-went,
She saw bestrowed all with rich aray

Of pearles and pretious stones of great assay,
And all the gravell mixt with golden owre:
Whereat she wondred much, but would not stay
For gold, or perles, or pretious stones, an howre,
But them despised all; for all was in her powre.

Whiles thus he lay in deadly stonishment,
Tydings hereof came to his mothers eare;
His mother was the blacke-browd Cymoënt,
The daughter of great Nereus, which did beare
This warlike sonne unto an earthly peare,
The famous Dumarin; who on a day
Finding the nymph asleepe in secret wheare,
As he by chaunce did wander that same way,
Was taken with her love, and by her closely lay.

There he this knight of her begot,, whom borne
She, of his father, Marinell did name;
And in a rocky cave as wight forlorne
Long time she fostred up, till he became
A mighty man at armes, and mickle fame
Did get through great adventures by him donne:
For never man he suffred by that same
Rich strond to travell, whereas he did wonne, [sonne.
But that he must do battail with the sea-nymphes

VOL III.

An hundred knights of honorable name
He had subdew'd, and them his vassals made:
That through all Farie lond his noble fame
Now blazed was, and feare did all invade,
That none durst passen through that perilous glade:
And, to advance his name and glory more,
Her sea-god syre she dearely did perswade
T'endow her sonne with threasure and rich store"
Bove all the sonnes that were of earthly wombes
ybore.

The god did graunt his daughters deare demaund,
To doen his nephew in all riches flow:
Eftsoones his heaped waves he did commaund
Out of their hollow bosome forth to throw

All the huge threasure, which the sea below
Had in his greedy gulfe devoured deepe,
And him enriched through the overthrow
And wreckes of many wretches, which did weepe
And often wayle their wealth which he from them
did keepe.

Shortly upon that shore there heaped was
The spoyle of all the world; that it did pas
Exceeding riches and all pretious things,
The wealth of th' East, and pompe of Persian kings:
Gold, amber, yvorie, perles, owches, rings,
And all that els was pretious and deare,
The sea unto him voluntary brings;
That shortly he a great lord did appeare,
As was in all the lond of Faery, or elsewheare,
Thereto he was a doughty dreaded knight,
Tryde often to the scath of many deare,
That none in equall armes him matchen might:
The which his mother seeing gan to feare
Least his too haughtie hardines might reare
Some hard mishap in hazard of his life:
Forthy she oft him counseld to forbeare
The bloody batteill, and to stirre up strife,
But after all his warre to rest his wearie knife:

And, for his more assuraunce, she inquir'd
One day of Proteus by his mighty spell
(For Proteus was with prophecy inspir'd)
Her deare sonnes destiny to her to tell,
And the sad end of her sweet Marinell:
Who, through foresight of his eternall skill,
Bad her from womankind to keepe him well;
For of a woman he should have much ill; [kill.
A virgin straunge and stout him should dismay or

Forthy she gave him warning every day
The love of women not to entertaine;
A lesson too, too hard for living clay,
From love in course of nature to refraine!
Yet he his mothers lore did well retaine,
And ever from fayre ladies love did fly;
Yet many ladies fayre did oft complaine,
That they for love of him would algates dy:
Dy, whoso list for him, he was Loves enimy.

But ah! who can deceive his destiny,
Or weene by warning to avoyd his fate?
That, when he sleepes in most security
And safest seemes, him soonest doth amate,
And findeth dew effect or scone or late;
So feeble is the powre of fleshly arme!
His mother bad him wemens love to hate,
For she of womans force did feare no harme;
So weening to have arm'd him, she did quite disarine.

M

This was that woman, this that deadly wownd,
That Proteus prophecide should him dismay;
The which his mother vainely did expownd
To be hart-wownding love, which should assay
To bring her sonne unto his last decay.
So tickle be the termes of mortall state
And full of subtile sophismes, which doe play
With double sences, and with false debate,
T' approve the unknowen purpose of eternall fate.

Too trew the famous Marinell it fownd;
Who, through late triall, on that wealthy strond
Inglorious now lies in sencelesse swownd,
Through heavy stroke of Britomartis hond.
Which when his mother deare did understond,
And heavy tidings heard, whereas she playd
Amongst her watry sisters by a pond,
Gathering sweete daffadillyes, to have made

His mother swowned thrise, and the third time
Could scarce recovered be out of her paine;
Had she not beene devoide of mortall slime,
She should not then have bene relyv'd againe :
But, soone as life recovered had the raine,
Shee made so piteous mone and deare wayment,
That the hard rocks could scarce from tears refraine:
And all her sister nymphes with one consent
Supplide her sobbing breaches with sad complement

shade;

Eftesoones both flowres and girlonds far away
She flong, and her faire deawy lockes yrent;
To sorrow huge she turnd her former play,
And gamesom merth to grievous dreriment:
Shee threw herselfe downe on the continent,
Ne word did speake, but lay as in a swowne,
Whiles all her sisters did for her lament
With yelling outcries, and with shrieking sowne;
And every one did teare her girlond from her crowne.

1

Soone as she up out of her deadly fitt
Arose, she bad her charett to be brought;
And all her sisters, that with her did sitt,
Bad eke attonce their charetts to be sought:
Tho, full of bitter griefe and pensive thought,
She to her wagon clombe; clombe all the rest,
And forth together went, with sorow fraught:
The waves obedient to theyre beheast
Them yielded ready passage, and their rage surceast.

Great Neptune stoode amazed at their sight,
Whiles on his broad rownd backe they softly slid,
And eke himselfe mournd at their mournful plight,
Yet wist not what their wailing ment, yet did,
For great compassion of their sorow, bid
His mighty waters to them buxome bee:
Eftesoones the roaring billowes still abid,
And all the griesly monsters of the see

Stood gaping at their gate, and wondred them to see.

A teme of dolphins raunged in aray
Drew the smooth charett of sad Cymoënt;
They were all tought by Triton to obay
To the long raynes at her commaundëment:
As swifte as swallowes on the waves they went,
That their brode flaggy finnes no fome did reare,
Ne bubling rowndell they behinde them sent;
The rest, of other fishes drawen weare, 1 [sheare.
Which with their finny oars the swelling sea did

Soone as they bene arriv'd upon the brim
Of the rich strond, their charets they forlore,
And let their temed fishes softly swim
Along the margent of the fomy shore,

"Fond Proteus, father of false prophecis !
And they more foud that credit to thee give!
Not this the worke of womans hand ywis, [drive.
That so deepe wound through these deare members
I feared love; but they that love doc live;
But they that dye, doe nether love nor hate:
Nath'lesse to thee thy folly I forgive;
And to myselfe, and to accursed fate,

[late!

The guilt I doe ascribe: deare wisedom bought too

"O! what availes it of immortall seed
To beene ybredd and never borne to dye?
Farre better I it deeme to die with speed
Then waste in woe and waylfull miserye:
Who dyes, the utmost dolor doth abye;
But who that lives, is lefte to waile his losse :
So life is losse, and death felicity:

Sad life worse then glad death; and greater crosse To see friends grave, then dead the grave selfe to engrosse.

"But if the Heavens did his days envie,
And my short blis maligne; yet mote they well
That the dim eies of my deare Marinell
Thus much afford me, ere that he did die,

I mote have closed, and him bed farewell,
Sith other offices for mother meet
They would not graunt-

Yett! maulgre them, farewell, my sweetest sweet! Farewell, my sweetest sonne, sith we no more shall meet!"

Thus when they all had sorowed their fill,
They softly gan to search his griesly wownd:
And, that they might him handle more at will,
They him disarmd; and, spredding on the grownd
Their watchet mantles frindgd with silver rownd,
They softly wipt away the gelly blood

From th' orifice; which having well upbownd,
They pourd in soveraine balme and nectar good,
Good both for erthly med'cine and for hevenly food.

Tho, when the lilly-handed Liagore
(This Liagore whilome had learned skill
In leaches craft, by great Apolloes lore,
Sith her whilome upon high Pindus hill
He loved, and at last her wombe did fill
With hevenly seed, whereof wise Pæon sprong)
Did feele his pulse, shee knew there staied still
Some litle life his feeble sprites emong; [flong.
Which to his mother told, despeyre she from her