At last whenas the dreadfull passion

Was overpast, and manhood well awake,
Yet musing at the straunge occasion,

And doubting much his sence, he thus bespake : "What voice of damned Ghost from Limbo lake, Or guilefull spright wandring in empty aire, Both which fraile men doe oftentimes mistake, Sends to my doubtful eares these speaches rare, And ruefull plaints, me bidding guiltlesse blood to spare?"

Then, groning deep; "Nor damned Ghost," (qd. he,) 33
"Nor guileful sprite to thee these words doth speake;
But once a man, Fradubio, now a tree;
Wretched man, wretched tree! whose nature weake
A cruell witch, her cursed will to wreake,
Hath thus transformd, and plast in open plaines,
Where Boreas doth blow full bitter bleake,

And scorching Sunne does dry my secret vaines; For though a tree I seme, yet cold and heat me paines."

66

Say on, Fradubio, then, or man or tree,"

34

Qd. then the Knight; "by whose mischievous arts
Art thou misshaped thus, as now I see?
He oft finds med'cine who his griefe imparts,
But double griefs afflict concealing harts,
As raging flames who striveth to suppresse."
"The author then," (said he)

"of all my smarts,

Is one Duessa, a false sorceresse, That many errant knights hath broght to wretchednesse.

"In prime of youthly yeares, when corage hott 35 The fire of love, and joy of chevalree,

First kindled in my brest, it was my lott
To love this gentle Lady, whome ye see
Now not a Lady, but a seeming tree;
With whome, as once I rode accompany de,
Me chaunced of a knight encountred bee,
That had a like faire Lady by his syde;
Lyke a faire Lady, but did fowle Duessa hyde.

“Whose forged beauty he did take in hand
All other Dames to have exceeded farre:
I in defence of mine did likewise stand,
Mine, that did then shine as the Morning starre.
So both to batteill fierce arraunged arre ;
In which his harder fortune was to fall
Under my speare: such is the dye of warre.
His Lady, left as a prise martiall,

Did yield her comely person to be at my call.

“So doubly lov'd of ladies, unlike faire,

36

37

Th' one seeming such, the other such indeede,
One day in doubt I cast for to compare
Whether in beauties glorie did exceede :
A Rosy girlond was the victors meede.
Both seemde to win, and both seemde won to bee,
So hard the discord was to be agreede.

Frælissa was as faire as faire mote bee,

And ever false Duessa seemde as faire as shee.

38

“ The wicked witch, now seeing all this while
The doubtfull ballaunce equally to sway,
What not by right she cast to win by guile;
And by her hellish science raisd streight way
A foggy mist that overcast the day,
And a dull blast, that breathing on her face
Dimmed her former beauties shining ray,
And with foule ugly forme did her disgrace :
Then was she fayre alone, when none was faire in place.

“Then cride she out, 'Fye, fye! deformed wight, 39
'Whose borrowed beautie now appeareth plaine
'To have before bewitched all mens sight:
'O! leave her soone, or let her soone be slaine.'
Her loathly visage viewing with disdaine,
Eftsoones I thought her such as she me told,
And would have kild her; but with faigned paine
The false witch did my wrathfull hand with-hold:
So left her, where she now is turnd to treen mould.

"Thensforth I tooke Duessa for my Dame,

And in the witch unweeting joyd long time; Ne ever wist but that she was the same; Till on a day (that day is everie Prime, When Witches wont do penance for their crime,) I chaunst to see her in her proper hew, Bathing her selfe in origane and thyme : A filthy foule old woman I did vew, That ever to have toucht her I did deadly rew.

"Her neather partes mishapen, monstruous,

Were hidd in water, that I could not see;
But they did seeme more foule and hideous,
Then womans shape man would beleeve to bee.
Thensforth from her most beastly companie
I gan refraine, in minde to slipp away,
Soone as appeard safe opportunitie:
For danger great, if not assurd decay,

I saw before mine eyes, if I were knowne to stray.

"The divelish hag by chaunges of my cheare

40

4I

42

Perceiv'd my thought; and, drownd in sleepie night, With wicked herbes and oyntments did besmeare My body all, through charmes and magicke might, That all my senses were bereaved quight: Then brought she me into this desert waste, And by my wretched lovers side me pight; Where now, enclosd in wooden wals full saste, Banisht from living wights, our wearie daies we waste."

"But how long time," said then the Elfin knight, 43 "Are you in this misformed hous to dwell?" "We may not chaunge," (quoth he,) "this evill plight, Till we be bathed in a living well:

That is the terme prescribed by the spell." "O! how," sayd he, "mote I that well out find, That may restore you to your wonted well?" "Time and suffised fates to former kynd

Shall us restore; none else from hence may us unbynd."

The false Duessa, now Fidessa hight,

Heard how in vaine Fradubio did lament,

44

And knew well all was true. But the good knight, Full of sad feare and ghastly dreriment,

When all this speech the living tree had spent, The bleeding bough did thrust into the ground, That from the blood he might be innocent,

And with fresh clay did close the wooden wound: Then, turning to his Lady, dead with feare her fownd.

45

Her seeming dead he fownd with feigned feare,
As all unweeting of that well she knew ;
And paynd himselfe with busie care to reare
Her out of carelesse swowne. Her eyelids blew,
And dimmed sight, with pale and deadly hew,
At last she up gan lift: with trembling cheare
Her up he tooke, (too simple and too trew)
And oft her kist. At length, all passed feare,
He set her on her steede, and forward forth did beare.

CANTO III.

Forsaken Truth long seekes her love,
And makes the Lyon mylde;
Marres blind Devotions mart, and fals
In hand of leachour vylde.

OUGHT is there under heav'ns wide hol

N

lownesse,

[mind,

That moves more deare compassion of Then beautie brought t'unworthie wretchednesse Through envies snares, or fortunes freakes unkind. I, whether lately through her brightnes blynd, Or through alleageance, and fast fealty, Which I do owe unto all womankynd, Feele my hart perst with so great agony, When such I see, that all for pitty I could dy.

And now it is empassioned so deepe,

2

For fairest Unaes sake, of whom I sing, That my frayle eies these lines with teares do steepe, To thinke how she through guyleful handeling, Though true as touch, though daughter of a king, Though faire as ever living wight was fayre, Though nor in word nor deede ill meriting, Is from her knight divorced in despayre, And her dew loves deryv'd to that vile witches shayre. Yet she, most faithfull Ladie, all this while Forsaken, wofull, solitarie mayd,

3

Far from all peoples preace, as in exile, In wildernesse and wastfull deserts strayd, To seeke her knight; who, subtily betrayd [wrought, Through that late vision which th' Enchaunter Had her abandond. She, of nought affrayd, Through woods and wastnes wide him daily sought; Yet wished tydinges none of him unto her brought.