XXVI

Inconstant man, that loved all he saw,
And lusted after all that he did love;
Ne would his looser life be tide to law, [prove,
But joyd weake wemens hearts to tempt, and
If from their loyall loves he might them move:
Which lewdnes fild him with reprochfull pain
Of that foule evill, which all men reprove,
That rotts the marrow, and consumes the braine.
Such one was Lechery, the third of all this

traine.

XXVII

And greedy Avarice by him did ride,
Uppon a Camell loaden all with gold;
Two iron coffers hong on either side,
With precious metall full as they might hold;
And in his lap an heap of coine he told;
For of his wicked pelfe his God he made,
And unto hell him selfe for money sold:
Accursed usury was all his trade, [waide.
And right and wrong ylike in equall ballaunce

XXVIII

His life was nigh unto deaths dore yplaste;
And thred-bare cote, and cobled shoes, hee ware;
Ne scarse good morsell all his life did taste,
But both from backe and belly still did spare,
To fill his bags, and richesse to compare :
Yet childe ne kinsman living had he none
To leave them to; but thorough daily care
To get, and nightly feare to lose his owne,
He led a wretched life, unto himselfe unknowne.

XXIX

Most wretched wight, whom nothing might suffise;

Whose greedy lust did lacke in greatest store: His ruffin raiment all was staind with blood
Whose need had end, but no end covetise;
Whose welth was want, whose plenty made

him pore;

Who had enough, yett wished ever more;
A vile disease: and eke in foote and hand
A grievous gout tormented him full sore,
That well he could not touch, nor goe, nor
stand.
[band.
Such one was Avarice, the fourth of this faire

ΧΧΧ

Which he had spilt, and all to rags yrent,
Through unadvized rashnes woxen wood;
For of his hands he had no governement,
Ne car'd for blood in his avengement:
But, when the furious fitt was overpast,
His cruel facts he often would repent;
Yet, wilfull man, he never would forecast
How many mischieves should ensue his heed-
lesse hast.

XXXV

Full many mischiefes follow cruell Wrath:
Abhorred bloodshed, and tumultuous strife,
Unmanly murder, and unthrifty scath,
Bitter despight, with rancours rusty knife,
And fretting griefe, the enemy of life:
All these, and many evils moe haunt ire,
The swelling Splene, and Frenzy raging
rife,

And next to him malicious Envy rode
Upon a ravenous wolfe, and still did chaw
Between his cankred teeth a venemous to de,
That all the poison ran about his chaw;
But inwardly he chawed his owne maw
At neighbours welth, that made him ever sad,
For death it was, when any good he saw;
And wept, that cause of weeping none he had; The shaking Palsey, and Saint Fraunces fire.
But when he heard of harme he wexed won- Such one was Wrath, the last of this ungodly

drous glad.

tire.

II

At last, the golden Orientall gate
Of greatest heaven gan to open fayre;

VII

The Sarazin was stout and wondrous strong, And heaped blowes like yron hammers great;

And Phoebus,fresh as brydegrome to his mate, For after blood and vengeance he did long:
Came dauncing forth, shaking his deawie The knight was fiers, and full of youthly heat,
hayre,
[ayre. And doubled strokes, like dreaded thunders
threat;

And hurld his glistring beams through gloomy
Which when the wakeful Elfe perceiv'd, streight For all for praise and honour he did fight.
He started up, and did him selfe prepayre [way, Both stricken stryke, and beaten both doe beat,
In sunbright armes, and battailous array; That from their shields forth flyeth firie light,
For with that Pagan proud he combatt will And hewen helmets deepe shew marks of eithers
might.

that day.

At last forth comes that far renowmed Queene:
With royall pomp and princely majestie
She is ybrought unto a paled greene,
And placed under stately canapee,

VIII

So th' one for wrong, the other strives for
right.
As when a Gryfon, seized of his pray,
A Dragon fiers encount reth in his flight,
Through widest ayre making his ydle way,
That would his rightfull ravine rend away:
With hideous horror both together smight,
And souce so sore that they the heavens affray;
The wise Southsayer, seeing so sad sight,
Th' amazed vulgar telles of warres and mortall
fight.

IX

So th' one for wrong, the other strives for
right,

And each to deadly shame would drive his foe:
The cruell steele so greedily doth bight

In tender flesh, that streames of blood down

flow; [show, With which the armes, that earst so bright did Into a pure vermillion now are dyde. Great ruth in all the gazers harts did grow, Seeing the gored woundes to gape so wyde, That victory they dare not wish to either side.

X

At last the Paynim chaunst to cast his eye,

The warlike feates of both those knights to see. His suddein eye flaming with wrathfull fyre,
On th' other side in all mens open vew
Duessa placed is, and on a tree
Sansfoy his shield is hangd with bloody hew;
Both those the lawrell girlonds to the victor

dew.

Upon his brothers shield, which hong thereby:
Therewith redoubled was his raging yre,
And said; 'Ah! wretched sonne of wofull syre,
Doest thou sit wayling by blacke Stygian lake,
Whylest here thy shield is hangd for victors
hyre?

And, sluggish german, doest thy forces slake
To after-send his foe, that him may overtake?

XI

'Goe, caytive Elfe, him quickly overtake, And soone redeeme from his long-wandring

woe:

Goe, guiltie ghost, to him my message make,
That I his shield have quit from dying foe.'
Therewith upon his crest he stroke him so,
That twise he reeled, readie twise to fall:

D