XLV.

Who all this while, with charmes and hidden artes,
Har made a lady of that other spright,
And fram'd of liquid ayre her tender partes,
So lively, and fo like in all mens fight,
That weaker fence it could have ravisht quight:
The makers felfe, for all his wondrous witt,
Was nigh beguiled with fo goodly fight.
Her all in white he clad, and over it

Caft a black ftole, moft like to feeme for Una fit.
XLVI.

Now when that ydle Dreame was to him brought,
Unto that elfin knight he bad him fly,
Where he slept foundly, void of evil thought,
And with falfe fhewes abufe his fantasy,
In fort as he him schooled privily;
And that new creature, borne without her dew,
Full of the maker's guyle, with ufage fly
He taught to imitate that lady trew,
Whofe fembiance fhe did carie under feigned hew.

He tayde his hand, and gan himselfe advise
To prove his fenfe, and tempt her feigned truth.
Wringing her hande in wemens pitteous wife,
Tho' can fhe weepe, to stirre up gentle ruth
Both for her noble blood, and for her tender youth,

LI.

And fayd, "Ah! Sir, my liege lord, and my love, "Shall I accufe the hidden cruel fate, "And mightic causes wrought in heaven above, "Or the blind god, that doth me thus amate, "For hoped love to winne me certaine hate? "Yet this perforce he bids me do or die. "Die is my dew; yet rew my wretched state "You, whom my hard avenging deftinie "Hath made judge of my life or death indifferently.

LII.

"Your owne deare fake forft me at first to leave "My father's kingdom," there the flopt with teares Her fwollen hart her speech feemd to bereave: And then againe begun, " My weaker yeares, "Captiv'd to fortune and frayle worldly feares, Fly to your fayth for fuccour and fure ayde; "Let me not die in languor and long tears "Why, dame," quoth he, "what hath ye thus "difmayd? [frayd?" "What frayes ye, that were wont to comfort me af

26

LIII.

Love of yourselfe," fhe faide," a ,"and deare conftraint "Lets me not fleepe, but waste the wearie night "In fecre: anguifh and unpittied plaint, "Whiles you in careleffe fleepe,are drownedquight." Her doubtfull words made that redoubted knight Sufpect her truth; yet fince no untruth he knew, Her fawning love with foule difdainefull spight He would not fhend, but faid," Deare dame, I rew "That for my fake unknowne fuch griefe unt you grew.

LIV.

"Affure your felfe, it fell not all to ground: "For all fo deare as life is to my hart,

I deeme your love, and hold me to you bound: "Ne let vaine fears procure your needleffe fmart, "Where caufe is none; but to your reft depart." Not all content, yet feemed fhe to appease Her mournetull plaintes, beguiled of her art, And fed with words, that could not chofe but pleafe So flyding foftly forth fhe turnd as to her cafe.

LV.

Long after lay he mufing at her mood,
Much griev'd to think that gentle dame fo light,
For whofe defence he was to fhed his blood.
At laft dull wearines of former fight
Having yrockt afleep his irkefome spright,
That troublous Dreame gan freshly toffe his brain
With bowres, and bes and ladies deare delight
But when he faw his laoure all was vaine.
With that misformedspright he bake returndagain

I.

By this the northerne wagoner had fet
His fevenfold teme behind the ftedfast starre,
That was in ocean waves yet never wet,
But firme is fixt, and fendeth light from farre
To all that in the wide deepe wandring arre :
And chearfull chaunticlere with his note fhrill
Had warned once that Phoebus' fiery carre
In haft was climbing up the eafterne hill,

IV.

Forthwith he runnes with feigned faithfull haft
Unto his gueft, who after troublous fights
And dreams gan now to take more found repaft;
Whom fuddenly he wakes with fearful frights,
As one aghaft with feends or damned sprights,
And to him calls, "Rife, rife, unhappy twaine,
"That here v ex old in fleepe, whiles wicked wights
"Have knit themselves in Venus' fhameful chaine:

II

When those accurfed meffenger of hell,
That feigning Dreame, and that faire-forged
fpright,

Came to their wicked maister, and gan tell
Their booteleffe paines, and ill-fucceeding night:
Who all in rage to see his skilfull might
Deluded fo, gan threaten hellish paine,
And fad Proferpine's wrath, them to affright:
But when he saw his threatening was but vaine,
He cast about, and fearcht his baleful bokes againe.

111.

Eftfoones he tooke that mifcreated faire,
And that falfe other fpright, on whom he spred
A feeming body of the fubtile aire,
Like a young fquire, in loves and luftyhed
His wanton daies that ever loosely led,
Without regard of armes and dreaded fight :
Thole too he tooke, and in a fecret bed,
Covered with darkness and mifdeeming night,
Them both together laid, to joy in vaine delight.

"ftaine."

v.

All in amaze he suddenly upstart

With fword in hand, and with the old man went;
Who foone him brought into a fecret part,
Where that falfe couple were full clofely ment
In wanton luft and leud embracement:
Which when he faw, he burnt with gealous fire;
The eie of Reason was with rage yblent,
And would have flaine them in his furious ire,
But hardly was reftreined of that aged fire.

VI.

Retourning to his bed in torment great,
And bitter anguish of his guilty fight,
He could not reft, but did his ftout heart cat,
And waft his inward gall with deepe despight,
Yrkesome of life, and too long lingring night.
At last faire Helperus in highest skie (light;
Had spent his lampe and brought forth dawning
Then up he rofe, and clad him haftily; (do fly.
The dwarfe him brought his fteed; fo both away

x.

He then devifde himfelte how to difguife;
For by his mighty feience he could take
As many formes and shapes in feeming wife
As ever Proteus to himselfe could make :
Sometime a fowle, fometime a fish in lake,
Now like a foxe, now like a dragon fell;
That of himselfe he ofte for feare would quake,
And oft would flie away. O who can tell
The hidden powre of herbes, and might of ma-
gick spell?

XI.

But now feemde beft the perfon to put on
Of that good knight, his late beguiled guest.
In mighty armes he was yclad anon,
And filver fhield; upon his coward breft
A bloody croffe, and on hes craven creft

A bounch of heares difcoloured diverfly.

Full iolly knight he feemde, and well addreft;
And when he fate upon his courfer free,
Saint George himselfe ye would have deemed him
to be.

XII.

Put he, the knight whofe femblaunt he did beare,
The true Saint George, was wandred far away,
Still lying from his thoughts and gealous feare;
Will was his guide, and griefe led him aflray.
At laft hini chaunit to meete upon the way
A faithlefs Sarazin, all armde to point,
Inwhole great shield was writ with letters gay
Safeyn fill arge of limbe and every joint
He was, and cared not for God er man a point.

land.

XVI.

As when two rams, ftird with ambitious pride,
Fight for the rule of the rich-fleeced flocke,
Their horned fronts fo fierce on either fide
Doe meete, that with the terror of the shocke
Aftoined both stand fenceleffe as a blocke,
Forgetfull of the hanging victory:

So food these twaine, unmoved as a rocke,
Both staring fierce, and holding idely
The broken reliques of their former cruelty.

XVII.

The Sarazin, fore daunted with the buffe,
Snatcheth his fword, and fiercely to him flies,
Who well it wards, and quyteth cuff with cuff:
Each others equall puiflance envies,
Ard through their iron fides with cruell fpies
Does fecke to pierce; repining courage yields
No foote to foe; the flashing fier flies,

As from a forge, out of their burning fhields,
And streams of purple bloud new die the verdant
fields.

XVIII.

"Curfe on that croffe," quoth then the Sarazin, "That keeps thy body from the bitter fitt; "Dead long ygoe, I wote, thou haddeft bin, "Had not that charme from thee forwarned itt ; "But yet I warne thee now affured fitt, "And hide thy head." Therewith upon his creft With rigor fo outrageous he fmitt, That a large fhare it hewd out of the reft, And glaurcing downe his fhield from blame him fairly Lief.