Such ones ill judg of Love, that cannot love,
Ne in their frozen Hearts feel kindly Flame:
For-thy they ought not thing unknown reprove,
Ne natural Affection faultlefs blame,
For fault of few that have abus'd the fame.
For, it of Honour and all Vertue is
The Root, and brings forth glorious Flowers of Fame
That crown true Lovers with immortal Bliss;
The Meed of them that love, and do not live amifs.
III.
Which whofo lift look back to former Ages,
And call to count the things that then were done,
Shall find, that all the Works of those wise Sages,
And brave Exploits which great Heroes won,
In Love were either ended or begun :
Witness the Father of Philofophy,
Which to his Critias, fhaded oft from Sun,
Of Love full many Leffons did apply,
The which these Stoick Cenfours cannot well deny.
IV.
To fuch therefore I do not fing at all;
But to that facred Saint my fovereign Queen,
In whose chafte Breaft all Bounty natural,
And Treasures of true Love enlocked been,
'Bove all her Sex that ever yet was feen.
To her I fing of Love, that loveth beft,
And beft is lov'd of all alive I ween:
To her this Song moft fitly is addrest,
The Queen of Love, and Prince of Peace from Heaven bleft.
V.
Which that the may the better deign to hear, Do thou, dread Infant, Venus dearling Dove, From her high Spirit chace imperious Fear, And Ufe of aweful Majefty remove : Inftead thereof with Drops of melting Love, Dew'd with ambrofial Kiffes, by thee gotten From thy fweet smiling Mother from above, Sprinkle her Heart, and haughty Courage soften, That the may heark to Love, and read this Leffon often.
CANTO I.
Fair Britomart faves Amoret:
Duefla Difcord breeds
'Twixt Scudamore and Blandamore :
Their Fight and warlike Deeds.
F Lovers fad Calamities of old,
Full
many piteous Stories do remain ;
But none more piteous ever was ytold,
Than that of Amoret's heart-binding Chain,
And this of Florimel's unworthy Pain:
The dear Compaffion of whofe bitter Fit
My foftned Heart fo forely doth constrain,
That I with Tears full oft do pity it,
And oftentimes do with it never had been writ.
For from the time that Scudamore her bought
In perilous Fight, fhe never joyed day;
A perilous Fight, when he with Force her brought
From twenty Knights, that did him all affay :
Yet fairly well he did them all difmay;
And with great Glory both the Shield of Love,
And eke the Lady felf he brought away:
Whom having wedded, as did him behove,
A new unknowen Mifchief did from him remove.
III.
For that fame vile Enchaunter Bufiran,
The very felf-fame day that he was wedded,
Amidst the bridal Feaft, whilft every Man
Surcharg'd with Wine, were heedlefs and ill-headed,
All bent to Mirth before the Bride was bedded,
Brought in that Mask of Love which late was fhown
And there the Lady ill of Friends bestedded,
By way of Sport, as oft in Mafks is known,
Conveyed quite away to living Wight unknown.
Seven Months he fo her kept in bitter Smart,
Because his finful Luft fhe would not ferve,
Until fuch time as noble Britomart
Released her, that else was like to starve,
Thro cruel Knife that her dear Heart did kerve.
And now he is with her upon the way,
Marching in lovely wife, that could deferve
No fpot of Blame, tho Spite did oft affay
To blot her with Dishonour of fo fair a Prey.
Yet fhould it be a pleafant Tale, to tell
The diverse Usage and Demeanure daint,
That each to other made, as oft befel.
For Amoret right fearful was and faint,
Left fhe with Blame her Honour fhould attaint,
That every Word did tremble as she spake,
And every Look was coy, and wondrous quaint,
And every Limb that touched her did quake:
Yet could the not but courteous Countenance to her make.
VI.
For well fhe wift, as true it was indeed,
That her Life's Lord, and Patron of her Health,
Right well deferved, as his dueful Meed,
Her Love, her Service, and her utmost Wealth.
All is his justly, that all freely dealth:
Nathlefs her Honour, dearer than her Life,
She fought to fave, as thing referv'd from Stealth;
Die had the liefer with Enchanter's Knife,
Than to be falfe in Love, profess'd a virgin Wife.
VII.
Thereto her Fear was made fo much the greater,
Thro fine Abusion of that Briton Maid;
Who, for to hide her feigned Sex the better,
And mafk her wounded Mind, both did and faid
Full many things fo doubtful to be weigh'd,
That well fhe wift not what by them to guess:
For other whiles to her fhe purpose made
Of Love, and otherwhiles of Luftfulness,
That much the fear'd his Mind would grow to fome Excefs.
His Will the fear'd; for him fhe furely thought
To be a Man, fuch as indeed he seem'd:
And much the more, by that he lately wrought,
When her from deadly Thraldom he redeem'd,
For which no Service the too much esteem'd;
Yet Dread of Shame, and Doubt of foul Dishonour,
Made her not yield fo much, as due she deem'd.
Yet Britomart attended duly on her,
As well became a Knight, and did to her all Honour.
IX.
It fo befel one Evening, that they came
Unto a Castle, lodged there to be,
Where many a Knight, and many a lovely Dame
Was then affembled, Deeds of Arms to fee:
Amongst all which was none more fair than fhe,
That many of them mov'd to eye her fore.
The Custom of that place was fuch, that he
Which had no Love nor Leman there in store,
Should either win him one, or lie without the Door.
X.
Amongst the reft there was a jolly Knight,
Who being asked for his Love, avow'd
That faireft Amoret was his by Right,
And offer'd that to juftify aloud.
The warlike Virgin feeing his fo proud
And boaftful Challenge, wexed inly wroth,
But for the prefent did her Anger shroud;
And faid, her Love to lofe fhe was full loth,
But either he should neither of them have, or both.
XI.
So forth they went, and both together giufted;
But that fame Younker foon was overthrown,
And made repent, that he had rafhly lufted
For thing unlawful, that was not his own:
Yet fince he seemed valiant, tho unknown,
She that no lefs was courteous than ftout,
Caft how to falve, that both the Custom shown
Were kept, and yet that Knight not locked out;
That feem'd full hard t' accord two things fo far in doubt,
The Seneschal was call'd to deem the Right;
Whom the requir'd, that first fair Amoret
Might be to her allow'd, as to a Knight,
That did her win, and free from Challenge fet :
Which ftraight to her was yielded without Let.
Then fith that ftrange Knight's Love from him was quit-
She claim'd that to her felf as Ladies Debt,
He as a Knight might juftly be admitted:
So none should be out-fhut, fith all of Loves were fitted.
XIII.
With that, her gliftring Helmet she unlac'd;
Which doft, her golden Locks, that were up-bound
Still in a Knot, unto her Heels down trac'd,
And like a filken Veil encompass round
About her Back and all her Body wound:
Like as the shining Sky in Summer's Night,
What time the Days with fcorching Heat abound,
Is creafted all with Lines of fiery Light,
That it prodigious feems in common Peoples fight.
XIV.
Such when thofe Knights and Ladies all about
Beheld her, all were with Amazement fmit,
And every one 'gan grow in fecret doubt
Of this and that, according to each Wit.
Some thought, that fome Enchauntment feigned it;
Some, that Bellona in that warlike wife
To them appear'd, with Shield and Armour fit;
Some, that it was a Mask of strange Difguife:
So diverfly each one did fundry Doubts devife.
But that young Knight, which thro her gentle Deed
Was to that goodly Fellowship reftor'd,
Ten thousand Thanks did yield her for her Meed,
And doubly overcomen, her ador'd:
So did they all their former Strife accord;
And eke fair Amoret, now freed from Fear,
More frank Affection did to her afford,
And to her Bed, which fhe was wont forbear,
Now freely drew, and found right fafe Affurance there.
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