THE LEGEND OF CAMBEL AND TRIAMOND, OR of Friend-

SHIP..

Canto I.

427

430

THE SECOND BOOK

OF

THE FAERIE QUEENE

CONTAYNING

THE LEGEND OF SIR GUYON, OR OF TEMPERAUNCE.

CANTO VII.

Guyon findes Mammon in a delve,'
Sunning his threasure hore;
Is by him tempted, and led downe
To see his secrete store.

I.

As pilot well expert in perilous wave,

That to a stedfast starre his course hath bent,
When foggy mistes or cloudy tempests have
The faithfull light of that faire lampe yblent,2
And cover'd heaven with hideous dreriment 3;
Upon his card and compas firmes 4 his eye,

1 Delve, cave.
2 Yblent, obscured.

3 Dreriment, darkness.
Firmes, firmly fixes.

The maysters of his long experiment,

And to them does the steddy helme apply, Bidding his winged vessell fairely forward fly:

II.

So Guyon having lost his trustie Guyde,
Late left beyond that Ydle Lake, proceedes
Yet on his way, of none accompanyde;
And evermore himselfe with comfort feedes
Of his own vertues and praise-worthie deedes.
So, long he yode,1 yet no adventure found,
Which Fame of her shrill trompet worthy reedes 2:
For still he traveild through wide wastfull3 ground,
That nought but desert wildernesse shewd all around.

III.

At last he came unto a gloomy glade,

Cover'd with boughes and shrubs from heavens light,
Whereas he sitting found in secret shade
An uncouth, salvage, and uncivile Wight,
Of griesly hew and fowle ill-favour'd sight;

His face with smoke was tand, and eies were bleard,
His head and beard with sout 4
were ill bedight,5

His cole-blacke hands did seeme to have ben seard
In smythes fire-spitting forge, and nayles like clawes appeard.

His

IV.

yron cote, all overgrowne with rust,

Was underneath enveloped with gold;

Whose glistring glosse, darkned with filthy dust,

Well yet appeared to have beene of old

1 Yode, went.

2 Reedes, deems.

3 Wastfull, uninhabited.

4 Sout, soot.

5 Ill bedight, disfigured.

I. 7. — The maysters of his long experiment.] His guides in the long voyage he is trying.