Full often-times did Britomart affay
To fpeak to them, and fome Emparlance move;
But they for nought their cruel Hands would stay,
Ne lend an Ear to ought that might behove.
As when an eager Maftiff once doth prove
The Tafte of Blood of fome engored Beast,
No Words may rate, nor Rigour him remove
From greedy hold of that his bloody Feast:
So little did they hearken to her sweet Beheaft.
XXXII.
Whom when the Briton Prince afar beheld,
With odds of fo unequall Match oppreft,
His mighty Heart with Indignation fwell'd,
And inward Grudge fill'd his heroick Breast:
Eftfoones himself he to their aid addreft.
And thrusting fierce into the thickest Preafe,
Divided them, however loth to rest,
And would them fain from Battel to furceafe,
With gentle words perfuading them to friendly Peace.
XXXIII.
But they fo far from Peace or Patience were,
That all at once at him 'gan fiercely fly,
And lay on load, as they him down would bear;
Like to a Storm, which hovers under Sky
Long here and there, and round about doth ply,
At length breaks down in Rain, and Hail, and Sleet,
Firft, from one Coaft, till nought thereof be dry;
And then another till that likewife fleet;
And fo from fide to fide, till all the World it weet.
XXXIV.
But now their Forces greatly were decay'd,`
The Prince yet being fresh untouch'd afore;
Who them with Speeches mild 'gan first diffuade
From fuch foul Outrage, and them long forbore:
Till feeing them thro Suffrance heartned more,
Himself he bent their furies to abate;
And laid at them so sharply and fo fore,
That fhortly them compelled to retreat,
And being brought in danger, to relent too late.
But now his Courage being throughly fir'd,
He meant to make them know their Folly's Prife,
Had not those two him inftantly defir'd
Taffuage his Wrath, and pardon their Mefprise.
At whofe Requeft he gan himself advise
To ftay his hand, and of a Truce to treat
In milder Terms, as lift them to devise:
'Mongft which, the cause of their fo cruel Heat
He did them afk, who all that paffed 'gan repeat:
XXXVI.
And told at large how that fame errant Knight,
To weet fair Britomart, them late had foil'd
In open Turney, and by wrongful Fight,
Both of their publick Praise had them defpoil'd,
And alfo of their private Loves beguil'd;
Of two, full hard to read the harder Theft.
But the that wrongful Challenge foon affoil'd,
And fhew'd that she had not that Lady reft
(As they fuppos'd) but her had to her liking left.
XXXVII.
To whom, the Prince thus goodly well reply'd;
Certes, Sir Knight, ye feemen much to blame,
To rip up Wrong, that Battel once hath try'd;
Wherein the Honour both of Arms ye fhame,
And eke the Love of Ladies foul defame :
To whom the World this Franchise ever yielded,
That of their Loves choice they might Freedom claim,
And in that Right, fhould by all Knights be shielded,
'Gainst which me feems this War ye wrongfully have wielded.
XXXVIII.
And yet, quoth she, a greater Wrong remains: For, I thereby my former Love have loft; Whom seeking ever fince with endless pains, Hath me much Sorrow and much Travel coft: Aye me! to see that gentle Maid so toft. But Scudamore, then fighing deep, thus faid; Certes, her Lofs ought me to forrow most Whose right she is, where-ever the be ftray'd, Through many Perils won, and many Fortunes waide.
For, from the first that I her Love profeft,
Unto this hour, this prefent lucklefs hour,
I never joyed Happiness nor Reft ;
But, thus turmoil'd from one to other Stour,
I wafte my Life, and do my Days devour
In wretched Anguifh and inceffant Woe,
Paffing the measure of my feeble Pow'r;
That living thus, a Wretch, and loving fo,
I neither can my Love, ne yet my Life forego.
XL.
Then good Sir Claribel him thus befpake;
Now were it not Sir Scudamore to you
Diflikeful Pain, fo fad a task to take,
Mote we entreat you, fith this gentle Crew
In now fo well accorded all anew,
That as we ride together on our way,
Ye will recount to us in order due
All that Adventure, which ye did affay
For that fair Lady's Love: paft Perils well apay.
XLI.
So 'gan the reft him likewife to require;
But Britomart did him importune hard,
To take on him that pain: whofe great Defire
He glad to fatify, himself prepar'd
To tell through what Misfortune he had far'd,
In that Atchievement, as to him befel,
And all thofe Dangers unto them declar'd:
Which fith they cannot in this Canto well
Comprifed be, I will them in another tell.
Scudamore doth his Conqueft tell,
Of virtuous Amoret :
Great Venus' Temple is defcrib'd,
And Lover's Life forth fet.
ARUE he it faid, what-ever Man it faid,
That Love with Gall and Hony doth abound:
But if the one be with the other weigh'd,
For every Dram of Hony therein found,
A Pound of Gall doth over it redound.
That I too true by trial have approv'd:
For, fince the day that first with deadly Wound
Hy Heart was launc'd and learned to have lov'd,
I never joyed hour, but ftill with Care was mov'd.
And yet fuch Grace is given them from above,
That all the Cares and Evil which they meet,
May nought at all their fettled Minds remove,
But feem 'gainst common Senfe to them most sweet:
As boafting in their Martyrdom unmeet.
So all that ever yet I have endur'd,
I count as nought, and tread down under feet,
Sith of my Love at length I reft affur'd,
That to Difloyalty fhe will not be allur'd.
Long were to tell the Travel and long Toil,
Through which this Shield of Love I late have won,
And purchased this peerless Beauty's Spoil,
That harder may be ended, than begun.
But fince ye fo defire, your Will be done.
Then hark, ye gentle Knights and Ladies free, My hard Mishaps, that ye may learn to fhun; For, though fweet Love to conquer glorious be, Yet is the Pain thereof much greater than the Fee.
What Time the Fame of this renowned Prife
Flew firft abroad, and all Mens Ears poffeft,
I having Arms then taken, 'gan avise
To win me Honour by fome noble Geft,
And purchase me fome place among the best.
I boldly thought (fo young Mens thoughts are bold)
That this fame brave Emprize for me did reft,
And that both Shield and She whom I behold,
Might be my lucky Lot: fith all by Lot we hold.
V.
So, on that hard Adventure forth I went,
And to the place of peril fhortly came :
That was a Temple fair and auncient,
Which of great Mother Venus bare the name,
And far renowned through exceeding Fame;
Much more than that, which was in Paphos built,
Or that in Cyprus, both long fince this fame,
Though all the Pillours of the one were gilt,
And all the other's Pavement were with Ivory spilt.
VI.
And it was feated in an Island strong,
Abounding all with Delices moft rare,
And wall'd by Nature 'gainst Invaders Wrong.
That none mote have access, nor inward fare,
But by one way, that Paffage did prepare.
It was a Bridge ybuilt in goodly wife,
With curious Corbs, and Pendants graven fair,
And (arched all with Porches) did arife
On ftately Pillours, fram'd after the Dorick Guife.
VII.
And for Defence thereof, on th' other end
There reared was a Caftle fair and strong,
That warded all which in or out did wend,
And flanked both the Bridge's Sides along,
'Gainft all that would it fain to force or wrong.
And therein wonned twenty valiant Knights;
All twenty try'd in War's Experience long;
Whofe office was, against all manner Wights,
By all means to maintain that Castle's antient Rights.
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