. Most facred Vertue fhe of all the reft, Refembling God in his Imperial Might; Whose fovereign Pow'r is herein most exprefs'd, That both to Good and Bad he dealeth right, And all his Works with Juftice hath bedight. That Pow'r he also doth to Princes lend, And makes them like himself in glorious Sight, To fit in his own Seat, his Cause to end, And rule his People right, as he doth recommend. XI.
Dread fovereign Goddess, that doft highest fit In Seat of Judgment, in th' Almighty's ftead, And with magnifick Might and wondrous Wit Doft to thy People righteous Doom aread, That furtheft Nations fills with aweful Dread; Pardon the Boldness of thy basest Thrall, That dare discourse of so divine a read, As thy great Juftice praised over all; The Inftrument whereof lo here thy Artbegal.
CANTO I.
Arthegal, train'd in Juflice' Lore,
Irena's Queft pursu’d:
He doth avenge on Sanglier
His Lady's Blood embru'd.
Hough Vertue then were held in highest Price, In those old times, of which I do entreat, Yet then likewife the wicked Seed of Vice
Began to fpring; which fhortly grew full great,
And with their Boughs the gentle Plants did beat.
But evermore fome of the vertuous Race
Rofe up, inspired with heroic Heat,
That cropt the Branches of the Cyen base,
And with strong Hand their fruitful Rankness did deface. II.
Such firft was Bacchus, that with furious Might
All th' Eaft, before untam'd, did over-run,
And Wrong repreffed, and establish'd Right,
Which lawless Men had formerly foredone.
Their Juftice firft her princely Rule begun.
Next, Hercules his like Enfample fhew'd,
Who all the Weft with equal Conqueft won,
And monstrous Tyrants with his Club fubdu'd :
The Club of Juftice drad, with kingly Pow'r endu'd.
III.
And fuch was he, of whom I have to tell,
The Champion of true Juftice, Arthegal:
Whom (as ye lately mote remember well)
An hard Adventure, which did then befal,
Into redoubted Peril forth did call ;
That was, to fuccour a diftreffed Dame,
Whom a ftrong Tyrant did unjustly thrall.
And from the Heritage, which the did claim,
Did with ftrong Hand withhold: Grantorio was
Wherefore the Lady, which Irena hight,
Did to the Fairy Queen her
way addrefs
To whom complaining her afflicted Plight,
She her befought of gracious Redress.
That fovereign Queen, that mighty Emperefs,
Whofe Glory is to aid all Suppliants poor,
And of weak Princes to be Patronefs,
Chofe Arthegal to Right her to reftore;
For that to her he feem'd beft skill'd in righteous Lore.
V.
For Arthegal in Juftice was up-brought
Even from the Cradle of his Infancy,
And all the Depth of rightful Doom was taught
By fair Aftraa, with great Industry,
Whilft here on Earth the lived mortally.
For till the World from his Perfection fell
Into all Filth and foul Iniquity,
Aftraa here 'mongst earthly Men did dwell,
And in the Rules of Juftice them inftructed well.
Whiles through the World the walked in this fort,
Upon a day the found this gentle Child,
Amongst his Peers playing his childish Sport:
Whom seeing fit, and with no Crime defil'd,
She did allure with Gifts and Speeches mild,
To wend with her. So thence him far fhe brought
Into a Cave from Company exil'd,
In which she nourfled him, till Years he raught,
And all the Discipline of Juftice there him taught.
There fhe him taught to weigh both Right and Wrong In equal Ballance with due Recompence,
And Equity to measure out along,
According to the Line of Conscience,
When-fo it needs with Rigour to dispense.
Of all the which, for want there of Mankind, caufed him to make Experience
ild Beafts, which the in Woods did find, gful Pow'r oppreffing others of their Kind.
Thus fhe him trained, and thus fhe him taught
In all the Skill of deeming Wrong and Right,
Until the Ripenefs of Man's Years he raught;
That even wild Beafts did fear his awful Sight,
And Men admir'd his over-ruling Might:
Ne any liv'd on ground, that durft withstand
His dreadful Heaft, much less him match in Fight,
Or 'bide the Horrour of his wreakful Hand,
When-fo he lift in Wrath lift up his steely Brand.
IX.
Which fteely Brand, to make him dreaded more,
She gave unto him, gotten by her Slight
And earnest Search, where it was kept in store
In Jove's eternal House, unwift of Wight,
Since he himself it us'd in that great Fight
Against the Titans, that whilom rebell'd
'Gainft higheft Heaven; Chryfaor it was hight;
Chryfaor, that all other Swords excell'd,
(quell'a. Well prov'd in that fame Day, when Jove thofe Giants
For of moft perfect Metal it was made,
Temper'd with Adamant amongst the same,
And garnish'd all with Gold upon the Blade
In goodly wife, whereof it took his Name,
And was of no less Vertue, than of Fame.
For there no Subftance was fo firm and hard,
But it would pierce or cleave, where-fo it came;
Ne any Armour could his Dint out-ward,
But wherefoever it did light, it throughly fhar'd.
Now when the World with Sin 'gan to abound,
Aftraa loathing lenger here to space
'Mongft wicked Men, in whom no Truth fhe found, Return'd to Heaven, whence the deriv'd her Race; Where the hath now an everlasting Place
'Mongft those twelve Signs, which nightly we do fee The Heaven's bright-fhining Baudrike to enchace; And is the Virgin, fixth in her Degree: And next herfelf, her righteous Ballance hanging be.
But when the parted hence, the left her Groom
An yron Man, which did on her attend
Always, to execute her ftedfaft Doom,
And willed him with Artbegal to wend,
And do whatever thing he did intend.
His Name was Talus, made of yron Mould,
Immovable, refiftlefs, without end;
Who, in his Hand, an yron Flail did hold,
With which he thresh'd out Falfhood, and did truth unfold.
XIII.
He now went with him in this new Inqueft,
Him for to aid, if Aid he chaunc'd to need,
Against that cruel Tyrant, which opprefs'd
The fair Irena with his foul Mifdeed;
And kept the Crown in which the should fucceed.
And now together on their way they bin,
When-as they faw a Squire in fquallid Weed,
Lamenting fore his forrowful fad Tine,
With many bitter Tears shed from his blubber'd Eyne.
XIV.
To whom as they approached, they efpy'd
A forry Sight, as ever feen with Eye;
An headless Lady lying him befide,
In her own Blood all wallow'd woefully,
That her gay Clothes did in Difcolour dye.
Much was he moved at that rueful Sight,
And flam'd with Zeal of Vengeance inwardly;
He afk'd, who had that Dame fo foully dight;
Or whether his own Hand, or whether other Wight?
XV.
Ah! woe is me, and weal-away, quoth he,
Bursting forth Tears, like Springs out of a Bank,
That ever I this dismal Day did fee:
Full far was I from thinking fuch a Prank; .
Yet little Lofs it were, and mickle Thank,
If I fhould grant that I have done the fame,
That I mote drink the Cup whereof the drank:
But that I fhould die guilty of the Blame,
The which another did, who now is fled with Shame.
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