LV.

And more than that, the promis'd that she would,
In cafe the might find Favour in his Eye,
Devize how to enlarge him out of Hold.
The Fairy glad to gain his Liberty,

'Gan yield great Thanks for fuch her Courtesy; And with fair Words (fit for the Time and Place) To feed the Humour of her Malady,

Promis'd, if she would free him from that Cafe,
He would, by all good means he might, deserve such Grace.
LVI.

So daily he fair Semblant did her shew,
Yet never meant he in his noble Mind,
To his own abfent Love to be untrue:
Ne ever did deceitful Clarind' find

In her falfe Heart, his Bondage to unbind ;
But rather how the mote him fafter tie.
Therefore unto her Mistress most unkind
She daily told, her Love he did defy;

And him he told, her Dame his Freedom did deny.
LVII.

Yet thus much Friendship fhe to him did fhow, That his fcarce Diet fomewhat was amended, And his Work leffen'd, that his Love mote grow: Yet to her Dame him ftill fhe discommended, That fhe with him mote be the more offended. Thus he long while in Thraldom there remain'd, Of both beloved well, but little friended; Until his own true Love his Freedom gain'd, Which in another Canto will be best contain'd.

S

CANTO VI.

Talus brings News to Britomart,
Of Arthegal's Mishap:

She goes to feek him, Dolon meets,
Who Seeks her to entrap.

I.

OME Men, I wote, will deem in Arthegal
Great Weakness, and report of him much Ill,
For yielding fo himself a wretched Thrall,
To th' infolent Command of Womens Will;
That all his former Praise doth foully fpill.
But he the Man, that fay or do fo dare,
Be well advis'd, that he stand ftedfast still:
For never yet was Wight fo well aware,
But he at firft or laft was trapt in Womens Snare.

II.

Yet in the Straightness of that captive State,
This gentle Knight himself fo well behav'd,
That notwithstanding all the fubtil Bait,
With which thofe Amazons his Love ftill crav'd,
To his own Love his Loyalty he fav'd:
Whofe Character in th' Adamantine Mould
Of his true Heart fo firmly was engrav'd,

That no new Love's Impreffion ever could

Bereave it thence: fuch Blot his Honour blemish should.
III.

Yet his own Love, the noble Britomart,
Scarce fo conceived in her jealous Thought,
What time fad Tidings of his baleful Smart
In Woman's Bondage, Talus to her brought;
Brought in untimely Hour, e'er it was fought.
For after that the utmost Date, affign'd
For his Return, fhe waited had for nought,
She 'gan to caft in her misdoubtful Mind

A thousand Fears, that Love-fick Fancies feign to find.

IV.

Sometime the feared, left some hard Mishap
Had him misfal'n in his adventrous Queft;
Sometimes left his falfe Foe did him entrap
In trait'rous Train, or had unwares opprefs'd:
But moft fhe did her troubled Mind moleft,
And fecretly afflict with jealous Fear,

Left fome new Love had him for her poffefs'd;
Yet loth fhe was, fince fhe no Ill did hear,
To think of him fo ill: yet could she not forbear.
V.

One while fhe blam'd her felf; another while
She him condemn'd, as trustless and untrue :
And then, her Grief with Error to beguile,
She feign'd to count the Time again anew,
As if before fhe had not counted true.

For Hours, but Days; for Weeks that paffed were, She told but Months, to make them feem more few: Yet when the reckon'd them, ftill drawing near, Each Hour did feem a Month, and every Month a Year, VI.

But when as yet she saw him not return,

She thought to fend fome one to seek him out;
But none the found fo fit to serve that turn,
As her own felf, to eafe her felf of Doubt.
Now the deviz'd amongst the warlike Rout
Of errant Knights, to seek her errant Knight;
And then again refolv'd to hunt him out
Amongst loose Ladies, lapped in Delight:

And then both Knights envy'd, and Ladies eke did fpite.
VII.

One Day, when-as fhe long had fought for Ease In every place, and every place thought best, Yet found no place, that could her Liking please, She to a Window came, that open'd Weft, Towards which Coaft her Love his way addrefs'd. There looking forth, the in her Heart did find Many vain Fancies, working her Unreft; And fent her winged Thoughts, more fwift than Wind To bear unto her Love the Metlage of her Mind.

VIII.

There as the looked long, at last she spy'd
One coming towards her with hafty Speed:

Well ween'd the then, e'er him fhe plain defcry'd,
That it was one fent from her Love indeed.
Who when he nigh approach'd, fhe mote aread
That it was Talus, Arthegal his Groom;
Whereat her Heart was fill'd with Hope and Dread;
Ne would she stay, till he in place could come,
But ran to meet him forth, to know his Tidings fome.
IX.

E'en in the Door him meeting, she begun;
And where is he thy Lord, and how far hence?
Declare at once; and hath he loft or won?
The yron Man, albe he wanted Senfe
And Sorrows feeling, yet with Conscience
Of his ill News, did inly chill and quake,
And flood ftill mute, as one in great Sufpence,
As if that by his Silence he would make

Her rather read his Meaning, than himself it fpake.
X.

Till fhe again thus faid; Talus be Bold,
And tell whatever it be, good or bad,

That from thy Tongue thy Heart's Intent doth hold.
To whom he thus at length; The Tidings fad,
That I would hide, will needs I fee be rad.
My Lord (your Love) by hard mishap doth lie
In wretched Bondage, wofully beftad.
Ay me, quoth fhe, what wicked Destiny?
And is he vanquifh'd by his Tyrant Enemy?
XI.

Not by that Tyrant, his intended Foe;
But by a Tyrannefs, he then reply'd,
That him captived hath in hapless Woe.

Ceafe thou, bad News-man: badly doft thou hide
Thy Mafter's Shame, in Harlot's Bondage ty'd:
The reft my felf too readily can spell.
With that, in Rage the turn'd from him afide
(Forcing in vain the reft to her to tell)
And to her Chamber went like folitary Cell

XII.

There she began to make her moanful Plaint
Against her Knight, for being fo untrue;
And him to touch with Falfhood's foul Attaint,
That all his other Honours overthrew.

Oft did fhe blame her felf, and often rue,

For yielding to a Stranger's Love so light,
Whofe Life and Manners ftrange fhe never knew;
And evermore she did him sharply twight

For Breach of Faith to her, which he had firmly plight.
XIII.

And then the in her wrathful Will did caft,
How to revenge that Blot of Honour blent
To fight with him, and goodly die her last:
And then again fhe did her felf torment,
Inflicting on her felf his Punishment.

Awhile the walk'd and chauf'd; awhile the threw
Her felf upon her Bed, and did lament:

Yet did the not lament with loud Alew,

As Women wont, but with deep Sighs and Singults few. XIV.

Like as a wayward Child, whofe founder Sleep
Is broken with fome fearful Dream's Affright,
With froward Will doth fet himself to weep;
Ne can be ftill'd for all his Nurfe's Might,
But kicks, and fqualls, and fhrieks for fell Defpight:
Now scratching her, and her loofe Locks mifufing;
Now feeking Darkness, and now feeking Light;
Then craving Suck, and then the Suck refufing:
Such was this Lady's Fit, in her Love's fond accufing.
XV.

But when she had with fuch unquiet Fits
Her felf there close afflicted long in vain,
Yet found no Easement in her troubled Wits,
She unto Talus forth return'd again,

By change of Place feeking to eafe her Pain:
And 'gan enquire of him, with milder Mood,
The certain Cause of Arthegal's Detain;
And what he did, and in what State he stood,
whether he did woo, or whether he were woo'd.