And she her selfe, of beautie soveraigne Queene, 43
Fayre Venus, seemde unto his bed to bring
Her, whom he, waking, evermore did weene
To bee the chastest flowre that aye did spring
On earthly braunch; the daughter of a king,
Now a loose Leman to vile service bound:
And eke the Graces seemed all to sing,
Hymen Iö Hymen! dauncing all around;
Whylst freshest Flora her with Yvie girlond crownd.

49

In this great passion of unwonted lust,
Or wonted feare of doing ought amis,
He starteth up, as seeming to mistrust
Some secret ill, or hidden foe of his.
Lo! there before his face his Ladie is,
Under blacke stole hyding her bayted hooke;
And as halfe blushing offred him to kis,
With gentle blandishment and lovely looke,
Most like that Virgin true which for her Knight him took.

50

All cleane dismayd to see so uncouth sight,
And halfe enraged at her shamelesse guise,
He thought have slaine her in his fierce despight;
But hastie heat tempring with sufferance wise,
He stayde his hand; and gan himselfe advise
To prove his sense, and tempt her faigned truth.
Wringing her hands, in wemens pitteous wise,
Tho can she weepe, to stirre up gentle ruth
Both for her noble blood, and for her tender youth.

And sayd, "Ah Sir, my liege Lord, and my love, 51
Shall I accuse the hidden cruell fate,

And mightie causes wrought in heaven above,
Or the blind God that doth me thus amate,
For hoped love to winne me certaine hate?
Yet thus perforce he bids me do, or die.
Die is my dew; yet rew my wretched state,
You, whom my hard avenging destinie

Hath made judge of my life or death indifferently.

"Your owne deare sake forst me at first to leave 52
My fathers kingdom"-There she stopt with teares;
Her swollen hart her speech seemd to bereave,
And then again begonne; "My weaker yeares,
Captiv'd to fortune and frayle worldly feares,
Fly to your fayth for succour and sure ayde:

Let me not die in languor and long teares." [mayd? “Why, Dame,” (quoth he,) "what hath ye thus disWhat frayes ye, that were wont to comfort me affrayd?”

"Love of your selfe," she saide, "and deare constraint, Lets me not sleepe, but waste the wearie night In secret anguish and unpittied plaint,

Whiles you in carelesse sleepe are drowned quight." Her doubtfull words made that redoubted knight Suspect her truth; yet since no' untruth he knew, Her fawning love with foule disdainefull spight He would not shend; but said, "Deare dame, I rew, That for my sake unknowne such griefe unto you grew.

"Assure your selfe, it fell not all to ground;

For all so deare as life is to my hart,

54

I deeme your love, and hold me to you bound: Ne let vaine feares procure your needlesse smart, Where cause is none; but to your rest depart." Not all content, yet seemd she to appease Her mournefull plaintes, beguiled of her art, And fed with words that could not chose but please: So, slyding softly forth, she turnd as to her ease.

Long after lay he musing at her mood,

55

Much griev'd to thinke that gentle Dame so light,
For whose defence he was to shed his blood.
At last, dull wearines of former fight
Having yrockt asleepe his irkesome spright,
That troublous dreame gan freshly tosse his braine
With bowres, and beds, and ladies deare delight:
But, when he saw his labour all was vaine,

With that misformed spright he backe returnd againe.

CANTO II.

The guilefull great Enchaunter parts
The Redcrosse Knight from Truth:
Into whose stead faire falshood steps,
And workes him woefull ruth.

I

Y this the Northerne wagoner had set
His sevenfold teme behind the stedfast
starre

That was in Ocean waves yet never wet,
But firme is fixt, and sendeth light from farre
To al that in the wide deepe wandring arre;
And chearefull Chaunticlere with his note shrill
Had warned once, that Phoebus fiery carre
In hast was climbing up the Easterne hill,
Full envious that night so long his roome did fill :
When those accursed messengers of hell,

2

That feigning dreame, and that faire-forged Spright, Came to their wicked maister, and gan tel Their bootelesse paines, and ill succeeding night: Who, all in rage to see his skilfull might Deluded so, gan threaten hellish paine, And sad Proserpines wrath, them to affright; But, when he saw his threatning was but vaine, He cast about, and searcht his baleful bokes againe. Eftsoones he tooke that miscreated faire,

And that false other Spright, on whom he spred A seeming body of the subtile aire, Like a young Squire, in loves and lusty hed His wanton daies that ever loosely led, Without regard of armes and dreaded fight : Those twoo he tooke, and in a secrete bed, Covered with darkenes and misdeeming night, Them both together laid to joy in vaine delight.

3

Forthwith he runnes with feigned faithfull hast
Unto his guest, who, after troublous sights
And dreames, gan now to take more sound repast;
Whom suddenly he wakes with fearful frights,
As one aghast with feends or damned sprights,
And to him cals; "Rise, rise! unhappy Swaine,
That here wex old in sleepe, whiles wicked wights
Have knit themselves in Venus shameful chaine :
Come, see where your false Lady doth her honor staine.”
All in amaze he suddenly up start

With sword in hand, and with the old man went;
Who soone him brought into a secret part,
Where that false couple were full closely ment
In wanton lust and leud enbracement:
Which when he saw, he burnt with gealous fire ;
The eie of reason was with rage yblent;

And would have slaine them in his furious ire,
But hardly was restreined of that aged sire.

Retourning to his bed in torment great,

And bitter anguish of his guilty sight,

He could not rest; but did his stout heart eat,
And wast his inward gall with deepe despight,
Yrkesome of life, and too long lingring night.
At last faire Hesperus in highest skie

5

6

Had spent his lampe, and brought forth dawning light; Then up he rose, and clad him hastily:

The dwarte him brought his steed; so both away do fly.

Now when the rosy fingred Morning faire,

Weary of aged Tithones saffron bed,

Had spred her purple robe through deawy aire,
And the high hils Titan discovered,

The royall virgin shooke off drousy hed;
And, rising forth out of her baser bowre,

7

Lookt for her knight, who far away was fled, And for her dwarfe, that wont to wait each howre. Then gan she wail and weepe to see that woeful stowre.

And after him she rode, with so much speede

As her slowe beast could make; but all in vaine,
For him so far had borne his light-foot steede,
Pricked with wrath and fiery fierce disdaine,
That him to follow was but fruitlesse paine:
Yet she her weary limbes would never rest;
But every hil and dale, each wood and plaine,
Did search, sore grieved in her gentle brest,
He so ungently left her, whome she loved best.

But subtill Archimago, when his guests
He saw divided into double parts,

8

10

And Una wandring in woods and forrests, Th' end of his drift, he praisd his divelish arts, That had such might over true meaning harts: Yet rests not so, but other meanes doth make, How he may worke unto her further smarts; For her he hated as the hissing snake, And in her many troubles did most pleasure take. He then devisde himselfe how to disguise; For by his mighty science he could take As many formes and shapes in seeming wise, As ever Proteus to himselfe could make: Sometime a fowle, sometime a fish in lake, Now like a foxe, now like a dragon fell; That of himselfe he ofte for feare would quake, And oft would flie away. O! who can tell [spel? The hidden powre of herbes, and might of Magick

But now seemde best the person to put on

Of that good knight, his late beguiled guest:
In mighty armes he was yclad anon,
And silver shield; upon his coward brest
A bloody crosse, and on his craven crest
A bounch of heares discolourd diversly.
Full jolly knight he seemde, and wel addrest;
And when he sate uppon his courser free,

II

Saint George himselfe ye would have deemed him to be.