Either for fame, or else for exercize,

A wrongfull quarrell to maintaine by fight; P Yet have through proweffe and their brave emprize Gotten great worship in this worldes fight: For greater force there needs to maintaine

right.

36.

wrong

"Yet, fince thy life unto this Ladie fayre
I given have, live in reproch and scorne,
Ne ever armes ne ever knighthood dare
Hence to profeffe; for fhame is to adorne
With fo brave badges one fo bafely borne:
But onely breath, fith that I did forgive."
So having from his craven bodie torne

Those goodly armes, he them away did give, And onely fuffred him this wretched life to live. 37.

There whileft he thus was fetling things above
Atwene that Ladie myld and recreant knight,
To whom his life he graunted for her love,

If

He

gan bethinke him in what perilous plight He had behynd him left that falvage wight Amongst so many foes, whom fure he thought By this quite flaine in fo unequall fight: Therefore descending backe in hafte he fought yet he were alive, or to deftruction brought.

38.

There he him found environed about

then

With flaughtred bodies which his hand had slaine,
And laying yet a fresh with courage ftout
Upon the reft that did alive remaine;

P to maintaine by fight.] So the first folio corrected it; the poet's own edition reading right. TODD. Might would answer the purpose as well as "fight;" but we are bound to accept the correction of the folios 1609 and 1611. Right is clearly an error. C.

Whom he likewise right forely did constraine,
Like scattred sheepe, to feeke for fafetie,"
After he gotten had with bufie paine

Some of their weapons which thereby did lie, With which he layd about, and made them fast to flie. 39.

Whom when the Prince fo felly saw to rage,
Approching to him neare, his hand he stayd,
And fought by making fignes him to affwage;
Who them perceiving ftreight to him obayd,
As to his Lord, and downe his weapons layd,
As if he long had to his heafts bene trayned.
Thence he him brought away, and

up convayd Into the chamber, where that Dame remayned

With her unworthy knight, who ill him entertayned.

40.

Whom when the Salvage faw from daunger free,
Sitting befide his Ladie there at ease,

He well remembred that the fame was hee,
Which lately fought his Lord for to displease:
Tho all in rage he on him ftreight did feaze,
As if he would in peeces him have rent;

And, were not that the Prince did him appeaze,
He had not left one limbe of him unrent:

But ftreight he held his hand at his commaundement.

41.

Thus having all things well in peace ordayned,
The Prince himselfe there all that night did reft;
Where him Blandina fayrely entertayned

With all the courteous glee and goodly feast
The which for him she could imagine best:

a Like fcattred fheepe, to feeke for fafetie.]" Safety" is one of the words which our old poets fometimes, as here, employed as three fyllables, and at other times as two. Of this circumftance we have had

Previous examples in Spenser. C.

For well she knew the wayes to win good will Of every wight, that were not too infeft; And how to please the minds of good and ill, Through tempering of her words and lookes by wondrous skill.

42.

Yet were her words and lookes but false and fayned,
To fome hid end to make more easie way,

Or to allure fuch fondlings whom she trayned
Into her trap unto their owne decay:

Thereto, when needed, fhe could weepe and pray,
And when her lifted fhe could fawne and flatter;
Now fmyling smoothly, like to fommers day,
Now glooming fadly, so to cloke her matter;
Yet were her words but wynd, and all her teares but water.
43.

Whether fuch grace were given her by kynd,

As women wont their guilefull wits to guyde,
Or learnd the art to please, I doe not fynd:
This well I wote, that she so well applyde
Her pleafing tongue, that foone she pacifyde
The wrathfull Prince, and wrought her husbands peace:
Who natheleffe not therewith fatisfyde,

His rancorous despight did not releaffe,

Ne fecretly from thought of fell revenge furceasse :

44.

For all that night, the whyles the Prince did reft
In careleffe couch, not weeting what was ment,
He watcht in clofe awayt with weapons preft,
Willing to worke his villenous intent
On him that had so shamefully him shent:

Yet durft he not for very cowardize

Effect the fame, whyleft all the night was spent.
The morrow next the Prince did early rize,
And paffed forth to follow his first enterprize.

IKE as the gentle hart it felfe bewrayes
In doing gentle deedes with franke de-
light,

Even fo the bafer mind it felfe difplayes
In cancred malice and revengefull fpight:
For to maligne, t' envie, t' use shifting flight,
Be arguments of a vile donghill mind;a
Which, what it dare not doe by open might,
To worke by wicked treason wayes doth find,
By fuch difcourteous deeds difcovering his base kind.

2.

That well appears in this difcourteous knight,

a vile dongbill mind.] He uses the fame phrafe, F. Q. iii. x. 15 [vol. iii. p. 25]. So likewife in "An Hymne [in honour of] Love:""His dungbill thoughts which do themselves enure

"To durtie droffe-"

And in "Tears of the Mufes" [Erato]:

"Ne ever dare their dunghill thoughts afpire."

And fo Chaucer, "Affembly of Fowles:"

"Now fie churle (quoth the gentle Tercelet)

"Out of the dung bill came that word aright." T. WARTON.

The coward Turpine, whereof now I treat;
Who notwithstanding that in former fight
He of the Prince his life received late,
Yet in his mind, malitious and ingrate,
He gan devize to be aveng'd anew

For all that shame, which kindled inward hate :
Therefore, fo foone as he was out of vew,
Himselfe in haft he arm'd, and did him faft purfew.

3.

Well did he tract his steps as he did ryde,

Yet would not neare approch in daungers eye,
But kept aloofe for dread to be defcryde,
Untill fit time and place he mote espy,

Where he mote worke him fcath and villeny.
At last he met two knights to him unknowne,
The which were armed both agreeably,

And both combynd, whatever chaunce were blowne Betwixt them to divide, and each to make his owne.

4.

To whom falfe Turpine comming courteously,

To cloke the mischiefe which he inly ment,
Gan to complaine of great difcourtefie,

Which a ftraunge knight, that neare afore him went,
Had doen to him, and his deare Ladie shent:
Which if they would afford him ayde at need

For to avenge in time convenient,

They should accomplish both a knightly deed, And for their paines obtaine of him a goodly meed.

5.

The knights beleev'd that all he fayd was trew;
And being fresh and full of youthly spright,
Were glad to heare of that adventure new,
In which they mote make triall of their might
Which never yet they had approv'd in fight,
And eke defirous of the offred meed: