27 And greedy Avarice by him did ride,
Upon 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 usurie was all his trade;

And right and wrong ylike in equall ballaunce waide.

28 His life was nigh unto deaths doore yplast,

And thred-bare cote, and cobled shoes he ware;
Ne scarse good morsell all his life did tast;
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 him selfe unknowne.

29 Most wretched wight, whom nothing might suffise,
Whose greedy lust did lacke in greatest store,
Whose need had end, but no end covetise,
Whose welth was want, whose plenty made him pore,
Who had enough, yet 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 go, nor stand:
Such one was Avarice, the fourth of this faire band.

30 And next to him malicious Envie rode

Upon a ravenous wolfe, and still did chaw Between his cankred teeth a venemous tode, 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, But when he heard of harme, he wexed wondrous glad.

31 All in a kirtle of discolourd say
He clothed was, ypaynted full of eyes;
And in his bosome secretly there lay
An hatefull snake, the which his taile uptyes
In many folds, and mortall sting implyes.
Still as he rode, he gnasht his teeth to see
Those heapes of gold with griple covetyse;
And grudged at the great felicitie

Of proud Lucifera, and his owne companie.

32 He hated all good workes and vertuous deeds,
And him no lesse, that any like did use;
And who with gratious bread the hungry feeds,
His almes for want of faith he doth accuse:
So every good to bad he doth abuse:
And eke the verse of famous poets witt
He does backebite, and spightfull poison spues
From leprous mouth on all, that ever writt:
Such one vile Envy was, that fifte in row did sitt.

33 And him beside rides fierce revenging Wrath,
Upon a lion, loth for to be led;

And in his hand a burning brond he hath,
The which he brandisheth about his hed:
His eyes did hurle forth sparkles fiery red,
And stared sterne on all, that him beheld;
As ashes pale of hew and seeming ded;

And on his dagger still his hand he held,
Trembling through hasty rage, when choler in him sweld.

34 His ruffin raiment all was staind with blood
Which he had spilt, and all to rags yrent;
Through unadvized rashnesse woxen wood;
For of his hands he had no governement,
Ne car'd for bloud in his avengement:
But when the furious fit was overpast,
His cruell facts he often would repent;
Yet wilfull man he never would forecast,

How many mischieves should ensue his heedlesse hast.

35 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,
The shaking palsey, and Saint Fraunces fire:
Such one was Wrath, the last of this ungodly tire.

36 And, after all, upon the wagon beame

Rode Sathan with a smarting whip in hand,
With which he forward lasht the laesy teme,
So oft as Slowth still in the mire did stand.
Huge routs of people did about them band,
Showting for joy; and still before their way
A foggy mist had covered all the land;

And underneath their feet all scattered lay
Dead sculls and bones of men whose life had gone astray.

37 So forth they marchen in this goodly sort,

To take the solace of the open aire,

And in fresh flowring fields themselves to sport;
Emongst the rest rode that false lady faire,
The foule Duessa, next unto the chaire

Of proud Lucifera, as one of the traine:

But that good knight would not so nigh repaire, Him selfe estraunging from their joyaunce vaine, Whose fellowship seemd far unfit for warlike swaine.

38 So, having solaced themselves a space

With pleasaunce of the breathing fields yfed,
They backe retourned to the princely place;
Whereas an errant knight in armes ycled,
And heathnish shield, wherein with letters red
Was writt Sans joy they new arrived find:
Enflam'd with fury and fiers hardy-hed,

He seemd in hart to harbour thoughts unkind,
And nourish bloudy vengeaunce in his bitter mind.

39 Who, when the shamed shield of slaine Sans foy
He spide with that same Faery champions page,
Bewraying him, that did of late destroy
His eldest brother, burning all with rage
He to him leapt, and that same envious gage
Of victors glory from him snatcht away:

But th' elfin knight, which ought that warlike wage,
Disdaind to loose the meed he wonne in fray,
And him rencountring fierce, reskewd the noble pray.

40 Therewith they gan to hurtlen greedily,

Redoubted battaile ready to darrayne,

And clash their shields, and shake their swords on hy,
That with their sturre they troubled all the traine;
Till that great Queene, upon eternall paine
Of high displeasure that ensewen might,
Commaunded them their fury to refraine,
And if that either to that shield had right,

In equall lists they should the morrow next it fight.

41 Ah dearest dame, (quoth then the Paynim bold,)
Pardon the error of enraged wight,

Whom great griefe made forget the raines to hold
Of reasons rule, to see this recreant knight,
No knight, but treachour full of false despight
And shamefull treason, who through guile hath slayn
The prowest knight that ever field did fight,

Even stout Sans foy, (O, who can then refrayn ?) Whose shield he beares renverst, the more to heap disdayn.

42 And to augment the glorie of his guile,

His dearest love, the faire Fidessa, loe

Is there possessed of the traytour vile,

Who reapes the harvest sowen by his foe,
Sowen in bloudy field, and bought with woe :
That brothers hand shall dearely well requight,
So be, O Queene, you equall favour showe.
Him litle answerd th' angry elfin knight;

He never meant with words, but swords, to plead his right:

43 But threw his gauntlet, as a sacred pledge
His cause in combat the next day to try:
So been they parted both, with harts on edge
To be aveng'd each on his enimy.

That night they pas in joy and jollity,

Feasting and courting both in bowre and hall;
For steward was excessive Gluttonie,

That of his plenty poured forth to all:

Which doen, the chamberlain Slowth did to rest them call.

44 Now whenas darkesome night had all displayd
Her coleblacke curtein over brightest skye,
The warlike youthes on dayntie couches layd,
Did chace away sweet sleepe from sluggish eye,
To muse on meanes of hoped victory.

But whenas Morpheus had with leaden mace
Arrested all that courtly company,

Up-rose Duessa from her resting place,

And to the Paynims lodging comes with silent pace.

45 Whom broad awake she findes, in troublous fit,
Forecasting, how his foe he might annoy;
And him amoves with speaches seeming fit:
Ah, deare Sans joy, next dearest to Sans foý,
Cause of my new griefe, cause of my new joy,
Joyous, to see his ymage in mine eye,

And greev'd, to thinke how foe did him destroy,
That was the flowre of grace and chevalrye;
Lo his Fidessa to thy secret faith I flye.

46 With gentle wordes he can her fairely greet,
And bad say on the secret of her hart.
Then sighing soft, I learne that little sweet
Oft tempred is (quoth she) with muchell smart:
For since my brest was launcht with lovely dart
Of deare Sans foy I never joyed howre,

But in eternall woes my weaker hart

Have wasted, loving him with all my powre,

And for his sake have felt full many an heavie stowre.