Her former love and stedfast loialty;

As ye may elswhere reade that ruefull history.

LIV.

But well I weene ye first desire to learne
What end unto that fearefull Damozell,

Which fledd so fast from that same foster1 stearne
Whom with his brethren Timias slew, befell:
That was, to weet, the goodly Florimell;
Who wandring for to seeke her lover deare,
Her lover deare, her dearest Marinell,

Into misfortune fell, as ye did heare,

And from Prince Arthure fled with wings of idle 2 feare.

1 Foster, forester.

2 Idle, causeless.

LIII. 9.— As ye may elswhere.] See the eleventh and twelfth cantos of this book.

LIV. 8.-As ye did heare.] See canto I. stanza XVI. and the conclusion of canto IV.

CANTO VII.

The Witches sonne loves Florimell:
She flyes; he faines to dy.
Satyrane saves the Squyre of Dames
From Gyaunts tyranny.

I.

LIKE as an hynd forth singled from the heard,
That hath escaped from a ravenous beast,
Yet flyes away of her owne feete afeard;
And every leafe, that shaketh with the least
Murmure of winde, her terror hath encreast:
So fledd fayre Florimell from her vaine feare,
Long after she from perill was releast:

Each shade she saw, and each noyse she did heare, Did seeme to be the same which she escapt whileare.1

II.

All that same evening she in flying spent,
And all that night her course continewed:
Ne did she let dull sleepe once to relent 2
Nor wearinesse to slack her hast, but fled
Ever alike, as if her former dred

Were hard behind, her ready to arrest:
And her white palfrey, having conquered
The maistring raines out of her weary wrest,
Perforce her carried where ever he thought best.

1 Whileare, shortly before. * Relent, slacken.

3 Maistring, mastering, or controlling. • Wrest, wrist.

Ill.

So long as breath and hable puissaunce Did native corage unto him supply, His pace he freshly forward did advaunce, And carried her beyond all ieopardy; But nought that wanteth rest can long aby1: He, having through incessant traveill spent His force, at last perforce adowne did ly, Ne foot could further move: The Lady gent2 Thereat was suddein strook with great astonishment;

IV.

3

And, forst t' alight, on foot mote algates 3 fare
A traveiler unwonted to such way;

Need teacheth her this lesson hard and rare,
That Fortune all in equall launce 4 doth sway,
And mortall miseries doth make her play.
So long she traveild, till at length she came
To an hilles side, which did to her bewray
A litle valley subiect to the same,

All coverd with thick woodes that quite it overcame.6

V.

Through th' tops of the high trees she did descry A litle smoke, whose vapour thin and light Reeking aloft uprolled to the sky:

Which chearefull signe did send unto her sight That in the same did wonne some living wight. Eftsoones her steps she thereunto applyd,

8

And came at last in weary wretched plight

1 Aby, abide.

2 Gent, gentle.

3 Algates, at all events. 4 Launce, balance.

Subiect to, lying beneath. 6 Overcame, came over. "Wonne, dwell.

8 Eftsoones, immediately.

VOL. II.

26

Unto the place, to which her hope did guyde

To finde some refuge there, and rest her wearie syde.

VI.

There in a gloomy hollow glen she found

A little cottage, built of stickes and reedes
In homely wize, and wald with sods around;

In which a Witch did dwell, in loathly weedes 1
And wilfull want, all carelesse of her needes;
So choosing solitarie to abide

Far from all neighbours, that her divelish deedes
And hellish arts from people she might hide,
And hurt far off unknowne whomever she envide.

VII.

The Damzell there arriving entred in;

Where sitting on the flore the Hag she found
Busie (as seem'd) about some wicked gin2:
Who, soone as she beheld that suddein stound,3
Lightly upstarted from the dustie ground,
And with fell looke and hollow. deadly gaze
Stared on her awhile, as one astound,

Ne had one word to speake for great amaze;

But shewd by outward signes that dread her sence did daze.* VIII.

At last, turning her feare to foolish wrath,

She askt, What devill had her thether brought,

And who she was, and what unwonted path
Had guided her, unwelcomed, unsought?
To which the Damzell full of doubtfull thought
Her mildly answer'd; "Beldame, be not wroth
With silly Virgin, by adventure brought

1 Weedes, dress.

2 Gin, contrivance.

3 Stound, startling appearance.

4 Daze, dazzle, confound.

Unto your dwelling, ignorant and loth,

That crave but rowme to rest while tempest overblo'th."

IX.

With that adowne out of her christall eyne
Few trickling teares she softly forth let fall,
That like two orient perles did purely shyne
Upon her snowy cheeke; and therewithall
She sighed soft, that none so bestiall

Nor salvage hart but ruth1 of her sad plight
Would make to melt, or pitteously appall;

And that vile Hag, all 2 were her whole delight
As mischiefe, was much moved at so pitteous sight;

X.

And gan recomfort her, in her rude wyse,
With womanish compassion of her plaint,
Wiping the teares from her suffused eyes,
And bidding her sit downe to rest her faint
And wearie limbs awhile: she nothing quaint 3
Nor 'sdeignfull of so homely fashion,

Sith 4 brought she was now to so hard constraint,
Sate downe upon the dusty ground anon;
As glad of that small rest, as bird of tempest gon.5

XI.

Thogan she gather up her garments rent,
And her loose lockes to dight in order dew
With golden wreath and gorgeous ornament;
Whom such whenas the wicked Hag did vew,
She was astonisht at her heavenly hew,
And doubted her to deeme an earthly wight,

1 Ruth, pity.
2 All, although.
3 Quaint, nice.

4 Sith, since.

Gon, gone, past.

• Tho, then.
" Dight, dispose.