XL.

Well was that Ring's great Virtue known to all;
That Dread thereof, and his redoubted Might,
Did all that youthly Rout fo much appall,
That none of them durft undertake the Fight:
More wife they ween'd to make of Love Delight,
Than Life to hazard for fair Lady's Look;
And yet uncertain by fuch outward fight
(Though for her fake they all that Peril took)
Whether fhe would them love, or in her liking brook.
XLI.

Amongst those Knights, there were three Brethren bald
(Three bolder Brethren never were yborn)
Born of one Mother in one happy Mould,"
Born at one Burden in one happy Morn;
Thrice happy Mother, and thrice happy Morn,
That bore three fuch, three fuch not to be found:
Her Name was Agape, whofe Children werne
All three as one; the firft, hight Priamond;
The fecond, Diamond, the youngeft, Triamond.

XLII.

Stout Priamond, but not fo ftrong to ftrike;
Strong Diamond, but not fo ftout a Knight;
But Triamond was ftout and ftrong alike;
On Horse-back ufed Triamond to fight,
And Priamond on foot had more Delight,
But Horfe and Foot knew Diamond to wield:
With Curtax used Diamond to fmite,

And Triamond to handle Spear and Shield,
But Spear and Curtax both us'd Priamond in Field.
XLIII.

These three did love each other dearly well,
And with fo firm Affection were ally'd,
As if but one Soul in them all did dwell,
Which did her Power into three parts divide;
Like three fair Branches budding far and wide,
That from one Root deriv'd their vital Sap :
And like that Root that doth her Life divide,
Their Mother was, and had full bleffed Hap,
These three fo noble Babes to bring forth at one clap.

XLIV.

Their Mother was a Fay, and had the Skill
Of Secret things, and all the Powers of Nature,
Which the by Art could ufe unto her Will,
And to her Service bind each living Creature,
Through fecret Understanding of their Feature.
There-to fhe was right fair, when-fo her Face
She lift discover, and of goodly Stature ;
But the (as Fayes are wont) in privy Place
Did fpend her Days, and lov'd in Forefts wild to space.
XLV.

There, on a day, a noble youthly Knight,
Seeking Adventures in the falvage Wood,
Did by great Fortune get of her the fight,
As the fat carelefs by a cryftal Flood,
Combing her golden Locks, as feem'd her good:
And unawares upon her laying hold,

That ftrove in vain him long to have withstood,
Oppreffed her, and there (as it is told)

(bold.

Got these three lovely Babes, that prov'd three Champions

XLVI.

Which fhe, with her, long foftred in that Wood,
Till that to ripenefs of Man's State they grew:
Then fhewing forth figns of their Father's Blood,
They loved Arms, and Knighthood did enfue,
Seeking Adventures where they any knew.
Which when their Mother faw, fhe 'gan to doubt
Their Safety; left by fearching Dangers new,
And rash provoking Perils all about,

Their Days mote be abridged through their Courage Atout.
XLVII.

Therefore, defirous th' end of all their Days

To know, and them t'enlarge with long extent,

By wondrous Skill, and

many hidden ways,

To the three fatal Sifters House the went.

Far under Cround from Tract of Living went,
Down in the Bottom of the deep Abyfs,
Where Demogorgon in dull Darkness pent,
Far from the View of Gods and Heaven's Blifs,
The hideous Chaos keeps, their dreadful Dwelling is.

XLVIII.

There the them found, all fitting round about,
The direful Distaff ftanding in the mid;
And with unwearied Fingers drawing out
The Lines of Life, from living Knowledg hid.
Sad Clotho held the Rock, the whiles the Thread
By griefly Lachefis was spun with Pain,
That cruel Atropos eftfoons undid

With curfed Knife, cutting the Twift in twain:
Moft wretched Men, whofe Days depends on Threds fo vain!
XLIX.

She them faluting, there by them fate-ftill,
Beholding how the Threds of Life they span :
And when at last she had beheld her fill,
Trembling in Heart, and looking pale and wan,
Her cause of coming fhe to tell began,

To whom, fierce Atropos; Bold Fay, that durft
Come fee the Secret of the Life of Man,
Well worthy thou to be of Jove accurs'd,
And eke thy Childrens Threds to be afunder burft.
L.

Where-at fhe fore afraid, yet her befought

To grant her Boon, and Rigour to abate,
That the might fee her Childrens Threds forth brought,
And know the Measure of their utmost Date,

To them ordained by eternal Fate.

Which Clotho graunting, fhewed her the fame :
That when the faw, it did her much amate,

To fee their Threds fo thin, as Spiders frame,

And eke so short, that seem'd their Ends out shortly came. LI.

She then began them humbly to intreat

To draw them longer out, and better twin,
That fo their Lives might be prolonged late.

But Lachefis thereat 'gan to repine,

And faid; Fond Dame, thou deem'ft of things Divine

As of Human, that they may altred be,

And chang'd at Pleasure for those Imps of thine:
Not fo; for, what the Fates do once decree,

Not all the Gods can change, nor Jove himself can fres

LII.

Then fith, quoth fhe, the Term of each Man's Life For nought may leffen'd nor enlarged be, Graunt this, that when ye fhred with fatal Knife His Line, which is the Eldeft of the Three, Which is of them the fhorteft, as I fee, Eftfoons his Life may pafs into the next : And when the next fhall likewise ended be, That both their Lives may likewise be annex'd Unto the third, that his may so be trebly wex'd. LIII.

They graunted it; and then that careful Fay
Departed thence with full contented Mind;
And coming home, in warlike fresh Array
Them found all three according to their Kind:
But unto them what Deftiny was affign'd,
Or how their Lives were eck'd, fhe did not tell;
But evermore, when she fit time could find,
She warned them to tend their Safeties well,
And love each other dear, whatever them befel.
LIV.

So did they furely during all their Days,
And never Discord did amongst them fall;
Which much augmented all their other Praise.
And now t' increase Affection natural,
In Love of Canacee they joined all:

Upon which ground this fame great Battle grew
(Great Matter growing of Beginning small ;)
The which for length I will not here pursue,
But rather will referve it for a Canto new.

CANTO III.

The Battle 'twixt three Brethren, with
Cambel for Canacee :

Cambina with true Friendship's Bond
Doth their long Strife agree.

.I.

Why do wretched Men fo much defire
To draw their Days unto the utmost Date,
And do not rather with them foon expire,
Knowing the Mifery of their Eftate,

And thousand Perils which them ftill await,
Toffing them like a Boat amid the Main,
That every Hour they knock at Deathes Gate.
And he that happy feems, and leaft in pain,
Yet is as nigh his end, as he that moft doth 'plain.
II.

Therefore this Fay I hold but fond and vain,
The which in feeking for her Children three
Long Life, thereby did more prolong their Pain:
Yet whilst they lived, none did ever fee
More happy Creatures than they feem'd to be,
Nor more ennobled for their Curtesy:

That made them dearly lov'd of each Degree:

Ne more renowned for their Chevalry;

That made them dreaded much of all Men far and nigh.

III.

These three that hardy Challenge took in hand,
For Canacee with Cambel for to fight:
The Day was fet, that all might understand,
And Pledges pawn'd the fame to keep aright.
That (the deareft Day that living Wight
Did ever fee upon this World to fhine)
So foon as Heaven's Window fhewed Light,
These warlike Champions, all in Armour fhine,
Affembled were in Field, the Challenge to define,