For naturall affection soone doth cesse,
And quenched is with Cupids greater flame;
But faithfull friendship doth them both suppresse,
And them with maystring discipline doth tame,
Through thoughts aspyring to eternall fame.
For as the soule doth rule the earthly masse,
And all the service of the bodie frame;

So love of soule doth love of bodie passe, [brasse.
No lesse then perfect gold surmounts the meanest

All which who list by tryall to assay, Shall in this storie find approved plaine;

Whom soone as faire Emylia beheld
And Placidas, they both unto him ran,
And him embracing fast betwixt them held,
Striving to comfort him all that they can,
And kissing oft his visage pale and wan:
That faire Pæana, them beholding both,
Gan both envy, and bitterly to ban;
Through iealous passion weeping nly wroth, [loth.
To see the sight perforce that both her eyes were

But when awhile they had together beene, And diversly conferred of their case,

Now, after that prince Arthur graunted had
To yeeld strong succour to that gentle swayne,
Who now long time had lyen in prison sad;
He gan advise how best he mote darrayne
That enterprize, for greatest glories gayne.
That headlesse tyrants tronke he reard from ground,
And, having ympt the head to it agayne,
Upon his usuall beast it firmely bound,
And made it so to ride as it alive was found.

Then did he take that chaced squire, and layd
Before the ryder, as he captive were,
And made his dwarfe, though with unwilling ayd,
To guide the beast that did his maister beare,
Till to his castle they approched neare;
Whom when the watch, that kept continuall ward,
Saw comming home, all voide of doubtfull feare
He, running downe, the gate to him unbard;
Whom straight the prince ensuing in together far'd.

There did he find in her delitious boure
The faire Pæana playing on a rote,
Complayning of her cruell paramoure,
And singing all her sorrow to the note,
As she had learned readily by rote;

That with the sweetnesse of her rare delight
The prince half rapt began on her to dote;
Till, better him bethinking of the right,
He her unwares attacht, and captive held by might.

Whence being forth produc'd, when she perceived
Her owne deare sire, she cald to him for aide:
But when of him no aunswere she received,
But saw him sencelesse by the squire upstaide,
She weened well that then she was betraide :
Then gan she loudly cry, and weepe, and waile,
And that same squire of treason to upbraide:
But all in vaine; her plaints might not prevaile;
Ne none there was to reskue her, ne none to baile.

Then tooke he that same dwarfe, and him compeld
To open unto him the prison dore,

And forth to bring those thrals which there he held.
Thence forth were brought to him above a score
Of knights and squires to him unknowne afore :
All which he did from bitter bondage free,
And unto former liberty restore.
Amongst the rest that squire of low degree
Came forth full weake and wan, not like himselfe
to bee.

Asunder, yet not ever in one place,

Began to doubt, when she them saw embrace,
Which was the captive squire she lov'd so deare,
Deceived through great likenesse of their face:
For they so like in person did appeare,
That she uneath discerned whether whether weare.

And eke the prince whenas he them avized,
Their like resemblaunce much admired there,
And mazd how Nature had so well disguized
Her worke, and counterfet herselfe so nere,
As if that by one patterne seene somewhere
She had them made a paragone to be;
Or whether it through skill or errour were.
Thus gazing long at them much wondred he;
So did the other knights and squires which him did

see.

Then gan they ransacke that same castle strong,
In which he found great store of hoorded threasure,
The which that tyrant gathered had by wrong
And tortious powre, without respect or measure.
Upon all which the Briton prince made seasure,
And afterwards continu'd there a while
To rest himselfe, and solace in soft pleasure
Those weaker ladies after weary toile;

To whom he did divide part of his purchast spoile.

And, for more joy, that captive lady faire,
The faire Paana, he enlarged free,

And by the rest did set in sumptuous chaire
To feast and frollicke; nathëmore would she
Shew gladsome counteuaunce nor pleasaunt glee;
But grieved was for losse both of her sire,
And eke of lordship with both land and fee;
But most she touched was with griefe entire
For losse of her new love, the hope of her desire.

But her the prince, through his well-wonted grace,
To better termes of myldness: did entreat
From that fowle rudenesse which did her deface;
And that same bitter cor'sive, which did eat
Her tender heart and made refraine from meat,
He with good thewes and speaches well applyde
Did mollifie, and calme her raging heat:
For though she were most faire, and goodly dyde,
Yet she it all did mar with cruelty and pride.

And, for to shut up all in friendly love,
Sith love was first the ground of all her griefe,
That trusty squire he wisely well did move
Not to despise that dame which lov'd him liefe,
Till he had made of her some better priefe ;
But to accept her to his wedded wife:
Thereto he offred for to make him chiefe
Of all her land and lordship during life:
He yeelded, and her tooke; so stinted all their strife.

From that day forth in peace and ioyous blis
They liv'd together long without debate;
Ne private iarre, ne spite of enemis,

Could shake the safe assuraunce of their state:
And she, whom Nature did so faire create
That she mote match the fairest of her daies,
Yet with lewd loves and lust intemperate
Had it defaste, thenceforth reformd her waies,
That all men much admyrde her chauge, and spake
her praise.

Thus when the prince had perfectly compylde
These paires of friends in peace and setled rest;
Himselfe, whose minde did travell as with chylde
Of his old love conceay d in secret brest,
Resolved to pursue his former guest;
And, taking leave of all, with him did beare
Faire Amoret, whom fortune by bequest
Had left in his protection whileare,
Exchanged out of one into another feare.

Feare of her safety did her not constraine;
For well she wist now in a mighty hond
Her person, late in perill, did remaine,
Who able was all daungers to withstond:
But now in feare of shame she more did stond,
Seeing herselfe all soly succourlesse,
Left in the victors powre, like vassall bond;
Whose will or weakenesse could no way represse,
In case his burning lust should breake into excesse.

But cause of feare sure had she none at all
Of him, who goodly learned had of yore
The course of loose affection to forstall,
And lawlesse lust to rule with reasons lore;
That, all the while he by his side her bore,
She was as safe as in a sanctuary.
Thus many miles they two together wore,
To seeke their lovers dispersed diversly;
Yet neither shewed to other their hearts privity.

At length they came whereas a troupe of knights
They saw together skirmishing, as seemed:
Sive they were all, all full of fell despight,
But foure of them the battell best beseemed,
That which of them was best mote not be deemed.
These foure were they from whom false Florimel
By Braggadochio lately was redeemed;
To weet, sterne Druon, and lewd Claribell,
Love-lavish Blandamour, and lustfull Paridell.

Druons delight was all in single life,
And unto ladies love would lend no leasure:
The more was Claribell enraged r fe
With fervent flames, and loved out of measure:
So eke lov'd Blandamour, but yet at pleasure
Wou'd change his liking, and new lemans prove:
But Paridell of love did make no threasure,
But lust d after all that him did move :
So diversly these foure disposed were to love.

But those two other, which beside them stoode,
Were Britomart and gentle Scudamour;
Who all the while beheld their wrathfull moode,
And wondred at their impacable stoure,
Whose like they never saw till that same houre:
So dreadfull strokes each did at other drive,
And laid on load with all their might and powre,
As if that every dint the ghost would rive
Out of their wretched corses, and their lives deprive.

As when Dan Æolus, in great displeasure For losse of his deare love by Neptune hent, Sends forth the winds out of his hidden threasure Upon the sea to wreake his full intent; They, breaking forth with rude unruliment From all foure parts of Heaven, doe rage full sore, And tosse the deepes, and teare the firmament, And all the world confound with wide uprore; | As if instead thereof they chaos would restore.

Cause of their discord and so fell debate
Was for the love of that same snowy maid,
Whome they had lost in turneyment of late;
And, seeking long to weet which way she straid,
Met here together; where, through lewd upbraide
Of Até and Duessa, they fell out;

And each one taking part in others aide
This cruell conflict raised thereabout,
Whose dangerous successe depended yet in doubt:

For sometimes Paridell and Blandamour
The better had, and bet the others backe;
Eftsoones the others did the field recoure,
And on their foes did worke full cruell wracke:
Yet neither would their fiend-like fury slacke,
But evermore their malice did augment;
Till that uneath they forced were, for lacke
Of breath, their raging rigour to relent,
And rest themselves for to recover spirits spent.

There gan they change their sides, and new parts
For Paridell did take to Druons side, [take;

For old despight which now forth newly brake
Gainst Blandamour whom alwaies he envide;
And Blandamour to Claribell relide:

So all afresh gan former fight renew.

As when two barkes, this caried with the tide,
That with the wind, contráry courses sew, [anew.
If wind and tide doe change, their courses change

Thenceforth they much more furiously gan fare,
As if but then the battell had begonne;
Ne helmets bright ne hawberks strong did spare,
That through the clifts the vermeil bloud out sponne,
And all adowne their riven sides did ronne.
Such mortall malice wonder was to see
In friends profest, and so great outrage donne:
But sooth is said, and tride in each degree,
Faint friends when they fall out most cruell fomen bee.

The warlike dame was on her part assaid
Of Clarabell and Blandamour attone;
And Paridell and Druon fiercely laid
At Scudamour, both his professed fone:
Foure charged two, and two surcharged one;
Yet did those two themselves so bravely beare,
That th' other litle gained by the lone,
But with their owne repayed duely weare,
And usury withall: such gaine was gotten deare.

Full oftentimes did Britomart assay

To speake to them, and some emparlance move;
But they for nought their cruell hands would stay,
Ne lend an eare to ought that might behove.
As when an eager mastiffe once doth prove
The tast of bloud of some engored beast,
No words may rate, nor rigour him remove
From greedy hold of that his blouddy feast:
So, litle did they hearken to her sweet beheast.

But now his courage being throughly fired,
He ment to make them know their follies prise,
Had not those two him instantly desired

T" asswage his wrath, and pardon their mesprise:
At whose request he gan himselfe advise
To stay his hand, and of a truce to treat
In milder tearmes, as list them to devise;
Mongst which the cause of their so cruell heat
He did them aske; who all that passed gan repeat;

And told at large how that same errant knight,
To weet, faire Britomart, them late had foyled
In open turney, and by wrongfull fight
Both of their publicke praise had them despoyled,
And also of their private loves beguyled;
Of two full hard to read the harder theft.
But she that wrongfull challenge soone assoyled,
And shew'd that she had not that lady reft,
(As they suppos'd) but her had to her liking left.

To whom the prince thus goodly well replied;
"Certes, sir Knight, ye seemen much to blame
To rip up wrong that battell once hath tried;
Wherein the honor both of armes ye shame,
And eke the love of ladies foule defame;
To whom the world this franchise ever yeelded,
That of their loves choise they might freedom clame,
And in that right should by all knights be shielded:
Gainst which, me seemes, this war ye wrongfully
have wielded."

"And yet," quoth she, "a greater wrong remaines : For I thereby my former love have lost; Whom seeking ever since with endlesse paines Hath me much sorrow and much travell cost: Aye me, to see that gentle maide so tost!" But Scudamour then sighing deepe thus saide; "Certes her losse ought me to sorrow most, Whose right she is, wherever she be straide, Through many perils wonne, and many fortunes waide :

"For from the first that I her love profest,
Unto this houre, this present lucklesse howre,
never ioyed happinesse nor rest;

But thus turmoild from one to other stowre
I wast my life, and doe my daies devowre
In wretched anguishe and incessant woe,
Passing the measure of my feeble powre;
That, living thus a wretch and loving so,
I neither cau my love ne yet my life forgo."

The good sir Claribell him thus bespake;
"Now were it not, sir Scudamour, to you
Dislikefull paine so sad a taske to take,
Mote we entreat you, sith this gentle crew
Is now so well accorded all anew,

That, as we ride together on our way,

Ye will recount to us in order dew
All that adventure which ye did assay
For that faire ladies love: past perils well apay."

So gan the rest him likewise to require :
But Britomart did him impórtune hard
To take on him that paine; whose great desire
He glad to satisfie, himselfe prepar'd
To tell through what misfortune he had far'd
In that atchievement, as to him befell,
And all those daungers unto them declar'd;
Which sith they cannot in this canto well
Comprised be, I will them in another tell.

CANTO X.

Scudamour doth his conquest tell
Of vertuous Amoret:
Great Venus temple is describ'd;
And lovers life forth set.

"TRUE he it said, whatever man it sayd,
That love with gall and hony doth abound:"
But if the one be with the other wayd,
For every dram of hony, therein found,
A pound of gall doth over it redound:
That I too true by triall have approved';
For since the day that first with deadly wounď
My heart was launcht, and learned to have loved,
I never ioyed howre, but still with care was moved.

"And yet such grace is given them from above,
That all the cares and evill which they meet
May nought at all their setled mindes remove,
But seeme gainst common sence to them most
As bosting in their martyrdome unmeet. [sweet;
So all that ever yet I have endured

I count as naught, and tread downe under feet,
Since of my love at length I rest assured,
That to disloyalty she will not be allured.

"Long were to tell the travell and long toile,
Through which this shield of love I late have wonne,
And purchased this peerelesse beauties spoile,
That harder may be ended, then begonne :
But since ye so desire, your will be donne.
Then hearke, ye gentle knights and ladies free,
My hard mishaps that ye may learne to shonne ;
For though sweet love to conquer glorious bee,
Yet is the paine thereof much greater then the fee.

"What time the fame of this renowmed prise
Flew first abroad, and all mens eares possest;
I, having armes then taken, gan avise
To winne me honour by some noble gest,
And purchase me some place amongst the best.
I boldly thought, (so young mens thoughts are bold)
That this same brave emprize for me did rest,
And that both shield and she whom I behold
Might be my lucky lot; sith all by lot we hold.

"So on that hard adventure forth I went,
And to the place of perill shortly came :
That was a temple faire and auncient,
Which of great mother Venus bare the name,
And farre renowmed through exceeding fame;
Much more then that which was in Paphos built,
Or that in Cyprus, both long since this same,
Though all the pillours of the one were guilt,
And all the others pavement were with yvory spilt:

"And it was seated in an island strong,
Abounding all with delices most rare,
And wall'd by nature gainst invaders wrong,
That none mote have accesse, nor inward fare,
But by one way that passage did prepare.
It was a bridge ybuilt in goodly wize
With curious corbes and pendants graven faire,
And arched all with porches did arize

On stately pillours fram'd after the Doricke guize:

"And for defence thereof on th' other end
There reared was a castle faire and strong,
That warded all which in or out did wend,
And flancked both the bridges sides along,
Gainst all that would it faine to force or wrong:
And therein wonned twenty valiant knights;
All twenty tride in warres experience long;
Whose office was against all manner wights
By all meanes to maintaine that castels ancient
rights.

"Before that castle was an open plaine,
And in the midst thereof a pillar placed;
On which this shield, of many sought in vaine,
THE SHIELD OF LOVE, whose guerdon me hath graced,
Was hangd on high with golden ribbands laced;
And in the marble stone was written this,
With golden letters goodly well enchaced;
Blessed the man that well can use this blis:
Whose ever be the shield, faire Amoret be his.

"So forth without impediment I past, Till to the bridges utter gate I came;

The which I found sure lockt and chained fast.

i knockt, but no man answred me by name;
I cald, but no man answred to my clame:
Yet I persever'd still to knocke and call;
Till at the last I spide within the same
Where one stood peeping through a crevis small,
To whom I cald aloud, halfe angry therewithall.
"That was to weet the porter of the place,
Unto whose trust the charge thereof was lent:
His name was Doubt, that had a double face,
Th' one forward looking, th' other backeward bent,
Therein resembling Ianus auncient

Which hath in charge the ingate of the yeare:
And evermore his eyes about him went,
As if some proved perill he did feare,
Or did misdoubt some ill whose cause did not ap

[peare.

"On th' one side he, on th' other sate Delay,
Behinde the gate, that none her might espy;
Whose manner was, all passengers to stay
And entertaine with her occasions sly;
Through which some lost great hope unheedily,
Which never they recover might againe;
And others, quite excluded forth, did ly
Long languishing there in unpittied paine,
And seeking often entraunce afterwards in vaine.

"Me whenas he had privily espide

Bearing the shield which I had conquerd late,
He kend it streight, and to me opened wide:
So in I past, and streight he closd the gate.
But being in, Delay in close awaite
Caught hold on me, and thought my steps to stay,
Feigning full many a fond excuse to prate,
And time to steale, the threasure of mans day,
Whose smallest minute lost no riches render may.

"But by no meanes my way I would forslow
For ought that ever she could doe or say;
But from my lofty steede dismounting low
Past forth on foote, beholding all the way
The goodly workes, and stones of rich assay,
Cast into sundry shapes by wondrous skill,
That like on Earth no where I recken may;
And underneath, the river rolling still [mans will.
With murmure soft, that seem'd to serve the work-

"Thence forth I passed to the second gate,
The gate of Good Desert, whose goodly pride
And costly frame were long here to relate:
The same to all stoode alwaies open wide;
But in the porch did evermore abide
An hideous giant, dreadfull to behold,

That stopt the entraunce with his spacious stride,
And with the terrour of his countenance bold
Full many did affray, that else faine enter would:

"His name was Daunger, dreaded over all;
Who day and night did watch and duely ward
From fearefuli cowards entrance to forstall
And faint-heart fooles, whom shew of perill hard
Could terrifie from fortunes faire adward:
For oftentimes faint hearts, at first espiall
Of his grim face, were from approaching scard:
Unworthy they of grace, whom one deniall
Excludes from fairest hope withouten further triall.

"Yet many doughty warriours, often tride
In greater perils to be stout and bold,
Durst not the sternnesse of his looke abide;
But, soone as they his countenance did behold,
Began to faint, and feele their corage cold.
Againe, some other, that in hard assaies
Were cowards knowne, and litle count did hold,
Either through gifts, or guile, or such like waies,
Crept in by stouping low, or stealing of the kaies.

"But I, though meanest man of many moe,
Yet much disdaining unto him to lout,
Or creepe betweene his legs, so in to goe,
Resolv'd him to assault with manhood stout,
And either beat him in or drive him out.
Eftsoones, advaunting that enchaunted shield,
With all my might I gan to lay about:
Which when he saw, the glaive which he did wield
He gan forthwith t'avale, and way unto me yield.

"So, as I entred, I did backeward looke,

For feare of harme that might lie hidden there;
And loe! his hind parts, whereof heed I tooke,
Much more deformed, fearfull, ugly were,
Then all his former parts did earst appere:
For Hatred, Murther, Treason, and Despight,
With many moe lay in ambúshment there,
Awayting to entrap the warelesse wight
Which did not them prevent with vigilant foresight.

"Thus having past all perill, I was come
Within the compasse of that islands space;
The which did seeme, unto my simple doome,
The onely pleasant and delightfull place
That ever troden was of footings trace:
For all that Nature by her mother-wit
Could frame in earth, and forme of substance base,
Was there; and all that Nature did omit,
Art, playing second Natures part, supplyed it.

"No tree, that is of count, in greenewood growes, From lowest iuniper to ceder tall;

No flowre in field, that daintie odour throwes,
And deckes his branch with blossomes over all,
But there was planted, or grew naturall:
Nor sense of man so coy and curious nice,
But there mote find to please itseife withall;
Nor hart could wish for any queint device,
But there it present was, and did fraile sense entice.

"In such luxurious plentie of all pleasure,
It seem'd a second Paradise I ghesse,
So lavishly enricht with Natures threasure,
That if the happie soules, which doe possesse
Th' Elysian fields and live in lasting blesse,
Should happen this with living eye to see,
They soone would loath their lesser happinesse,
And wish to life return'd againe to bee, [free.
That in this ioyous place they mote have ioyance
"Fresh shadowes, fit to shroud from sunny ray;
Faire lawnds, to take the Sunne in season dew;
Sweet springs, in which a thousand nymphs did play;
Soft-rombling brookes, that gentle slomber drew;
High-reared mounts, the lands about to view;
Low-looking dales, disloignd from common gaze;
Delightfull bowres, to solace lovers trew;
False labyrinthes, fond runners eyes to daze;
All which by Nature made did Nature selfe amaze.
"And all without were walkes and alleyes dight
With divers trees enrang'd in even rankes;
And here and there were pleasant arbors pight,
And shadie seates, and sundry flowring bankes,
To sit and rest the walkers wearie shankes:
Aud therein thousand payres of lovers walkt,
Praysing their God, and yeelding him great thankes,
Ne ever ought but of their true loves talkt,
Ne ever for rebuke or blame of any balkt.

"All these together by themselves did sport
Their spotlesse pleasures and sweet loves content.
But, farre away from these, another sort
Of lovers lincked in true harts consent;
Which loved not as these for like intent,
But on chaste vertue grounded their desire,
Farre from all fraud or fayned blandishment;
Which, in their spirits kindling zealous fire, [pire,
Brave thoughts and noble deedes did evermore as-

"Such were great Hercules, and Hyllus deare;
Trew Ionathan, and David trustie tryde;
Stout Theseus, and Pirithous his feare;
Pylades, and Orestes by his syde;
Myld Titus, and Gesippus without pryde;
Damon, and Pythias, whom death could not sever:
All these, and all that ever had bene tyde
In bands of friendship, there did live for ever;
Whose lives although decay'd, yet loves decayed

never.

"Which whenas I, that never tasted blis
Nor happy howre, beheld with gazefull eye,
I thought there was none other Heaven then this;
And gan their endlesse happinesse envye,
That being free from feare and gealosye
Might frankely there their loves desire possesse;
Whilest I, through pains and perlous ieopardie,
Was forst to seeke my lifes deare patronesse :
Much dearer be the things which come through

hard distresse.

"Yet all those sights, and all that else I saw,
Might not my steps withhold but that forthright
Unto that purposd place I did me draw,
Whereas my love was lodged day and night,
The temple of great Venus, that is hight
The queene of Beautie, and of Love the mother,
There worshipped of every living wight;
Whose goodly workmanship farre past all other
Thatever were on Earth, all were they set together.