Guyon by palmers governance,
Passing through perils great,
Doth overthrow the Bowre of Blisse,
And Acrasie defeat.
I Now gins that goodly frame of Temperance
Fairely to rise, and her adorned hed
To pricke of highest praise forth to advance,
Formerly grounded, and fast setteled
On firme foundation of true bountihed;
And this brave knight, that for this vertue fights,
Now comes to point of that same perilous sted,
Where Pleasure dwelles in sensuall delights,
Mongst thousand dangers and ten thousand magick mights.
2 Two dayes now in that sea he sayled has,
Ne ever land beheld, ne living wight,
Ne ought save perill, still as he did pas:
Tho when appeared the third morrow bright
Upon the waves to spred her trembling light,
An hideous roaring far away they heard,
That all their senses filled with affright;
And streight they saw the raging surges reard
to the skyes, that them of drowning made affeard.
3 Said then the boteman, Palmer stere aright,
And keepe an even course; for yonder way
We needes must passe (God doe us well acquight,)
That is the Gulfe of Greedinesse, they say,
That deepe engorgeth all this worldes pray;
Which having swallowd up excessively,
He soone in vomit up againe doth lay,
And belcheth forth his superfluity,
That all the seas for feare doe seeme away to fly.
4 On th' other side an hideous rocke is pight
Of mighty magnes stone, whose craggie clift
Depending from on high, dreadfull to sight,
Over the waves his rugged armes doth lift,
And threatneth downe to throw his ragged rift
On whoso cometh nigh; yet nigh it drawes
All passengers, that none from it can shift:
For, whiles they fly that gulfes devouring jawes,
They on the rock are rent, and sunck in helplesse wawes.
5 Forward they passe, and strongly he them rowes,
Untill they nigh unto that gulfe arrive,
Where streame more violent and greedy growes:
Then he with all his puissance doth stryve
To strike his oares, and mightily doth drive
The hollow vessell through the threatfull wave;
Which, gaping wide to swallow them alive
In th' huge abysse of his engulfing grave,
Doth rore at them in vaine, and with great terror rave.
6 They, passing by, that griesly mouth doe see Sucking the seas into his entralles deepe,
That seemd more horrible than hell to bee, Or that darke dreadfull hole of Tartare steepe, Through which the damned ghosts doen often creep Backe to the world, bad livers to torment: But nought that falles into this direfull deepe, Ne that approcheth nigh the wide descent, May backe returne, but is condemned to be drent.
7 On th' other side they saw that perilous rocke,
Threatning it selfe on them to ruinate,
On whose sharp clifts the ribs of vessels broke ;
And shivered ships, which had bene wrecked late,
Yet stuck, with carcases exanimate
Of such, as having all their substance spent
In wanton joyes and lustes intemperate,
Did afterwardes make shipwracke violent
Both of their life and fame for ever fowly blent.
8 For thy this hight the Rock of vile Reproch,
A daungerous and detestable place,
To which nor fish nor fowle did once approch,
But yelling meawes, with seagulles, hoarse and bace,
And cormoyrants, with birds of ravenous race,
Which still sat waiting on that wastfull clift
For spoile of wretches, whose unhappie cace,
After lost credit and consumed thrift,
At last them driven hath to this despairefull drift.
9 The palmer seeing them in safetie past,
Thus said; Behold th' ensamples in our sights
Of lustfull luxurie and thriftlesse wasť:
What now is left of miserable wights,
Which spent their looser daies in lewd delights,
But shame and sad reproch, here to be red
By these rent reliques speaking their ill plightes?
Let all that live hereby be counselled
To shunne Rocke of Reproch, and it as death to dred.
10 So forth they rowed, and that ferryman
With his stiffe oares did brush the sea so strong,
That the hoare waters from his frigot ran,
And the light bubbles daunced all along,
Whiles the salt brine out of the billowes sprong.
At last farre off they many islands spy
On every side floting the floods emong:
Then said the knight, Loe I the land descry,
Therefore old syre thy course do thereunto apply.
11 That may not be, said then the ferryman,
Least we unweeting hap to be fordonne:
For those same islands, seeming now and than,
Are not firme land, nor any certein wonne,
But straggling plots, which to and fro do ronne
In the wide waters: therefore are they hight
The Wandring Islands: therefore doe them shonne;
For they have oft drawne many a wandring wight
Into most deadly daunger and distressed plight.
12 Yet well they seeme to him, that farre doth vew, Both faire and fruitfull, and the ground dispred With grassie greene of delectable hew,
And the tall trees with leaves apparelled
Are deckt with blossomes dyde in white and red,
That mote the passengers thereto allure;
But whosoever once hath fastened
His foot thereon, may never it recure,
But wandreth ever more uncertein and unsure.
13 As th' isle of Delos whylome men report
Amid th' Aegaean sea long time did stray,
Ne made for shipping any certaine port,
Till that Latona travelling that way,
Flying from Junoes wrath and hard assay,
Of her faire twins was there delivered,
Which afterwards did rule the night and day:
Thenceforth it firmely was established,
And for Apolloes temple highly herried.
14 They to him hearken, as beseemeth meete;
And passe on forward: so their way does ly,
That one of those same islands, which doe fleet
In the wide sea, they needes must passen by,
Which seemd so sweet and pleasant to the eye,
That it would tempt a man to touchen there:
Upon the banck they sitting did espy
A daintie damsell dressing of her heare,
By whom a little skippet floting did appeare.
15 She them espying, loud to them gan call,
Bidding them nigher draw unto the shore,
For she had cause to busie them withall;
And therewith loudly laught: but nathemore
Would they once turne, but kept on as afore:
Which when she saw, she left her lockes undight,
And running to her boat withouten ore,
From the departing land it launched light,
And after them did drive with all her power and might.
16 Whom overtaking, she in merry sort
Then gan to bord, and purpose diversly;
Now faining dalliance and wanton sport,
Now throwing forth lewd words immodestly;
Till that the palmer gan full bitterly
Her to rebuke, for being loose and light:
Which not abiding, but more scornfully
Scoffing at him that did her justly wite,
She turnd her bote about, and from them rowed quite.
17 That was the wanton Phaedria, which late
Did ferry him over the Idle Lake:
Whom nought regarding, they kept on their gate,
And all her vaine allurements did forsake;
When them the wary boateman thus bespake;
Here now behoveth us well to avyse,
And of our safety good heede to take;
For here before a perlous passage lyes,
Where many mermayds haunt, making false melodies.
18 But by the way there is a great quicksand, And a whirlepoole of hidden jeopardy;
Therefore, Sir Palmer, keepe an even hand;
For twixt them both the narrow way doth ly.
Scarse had he said, when hard at hand they spy,
That quicksand nigh with water covered;
But by the checked wave they did descry
It plaine, and by the sea discoloured:
It called was the quicksand of Unthriftyhed.
19 They passing by, a goodly ship did see
Laden from far with precious merchandize,
And bravely furnished, as ship might bee,
Which through great disaventure, or mesprize,
Her selfe had runne into that hazardize;
Whose mariners and merchants with much toyle
Labour'd in vaine to have recur'd their prize,
And the rich wares to save from pitteous spoyle;
But neither toyle nor. travell might her backe recoyle.
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