Him at the first encounter down he smote,
And overbore beyond his crouper quite ;
And after him another knight, that hote1
Sir Brianor, so sore, that none him life behote.2

29 Then, ere his hand he reared, he overthrew

Seven knights, one after other, as they came : And, when his spear was brust, his sword he drew,

The instrument of wrath, and with the same

Fared like a lion in his bloody game,

Hewing and slashing shields and helmets bright,
And beating down whatever nigh him came,
That every one gan shun his dreadful sight

No less than death itself, in dangerous affright.

30 Much wond'red all men what or whence he

came,

That did amongst the troops so tyrannise;
And each of other gan inquire his name:

But, when they could not learn it by no wise,
Most answerable to his wild disguise

It seemed, him to term the salvage knight

But certes 5 his right name was otherwise,

Though known to few that Arthegall he hight,7 The doughtiest knight that lived that day, and most of might.

1 Hote, was named. 2 Behote, promised. 3 Brust, broken.

4 Fared, went.

5 Certes, truly.

• Arthegall, or Artegall, the knight whose image Britomart had seen in the magic mirror. "Hight, was called.

31 Thus was Sir Satyrane with all his band

By his sole manhood and achievement stout
Dismayed, that none of them in field durst stand,
But beaten were and chasèd all about.
So he continued all that day throughout,
Till evening that the sun gan downward bend :
Then rushed forth out of the thickest rout
A stranger knight, that did his glory shend1:
So nought may be esteemèd happy till the end!

32 He at his entrance charged his pow'rful spear
At Artegall, in middest of his pride,

And therewith smote him on his umbriere 2
So sore, that, tumbling back, he down did slide
Over his horse's tail above a stride;
Whence little lust 3 he had to rise again.
Which Cambell seeing, much the same enviéd.a
And ran at him 5 with all his might and main ;
But shortly was likewise seen lying on the plain.

33 Whereat full inly wroth was Triamond,

4

And cast t' avenge the shame done to his friend :
But by his friend himself eke soon he fond
In no less need of help then him he weened.8
All which when Blandamour from end to end9

1 Shend, shame.

2 Umbriere, visor.

8 Lust, desire.

4 The same envied, i.e. was sorely vexed on account of the circumstance.

5 Him, i.e. the stranger knight.

• Cast, planned.

7 Fond, found.

8 Then him he weened, than he whom he thought in need of it.

9 From end to end, i.e. from begining to end.

Beheld, he woxe1 therewith displeased sore,
And thought in mind it shortly to amend :
His spear he feutered,2 and at him it bore;
But with no better fortune then the rest afore.

34 Full many others at him likewise ran ;

But all of them likewise dismounted were:
Ne certes wonder 3; for no pow'r of man
Could bide the force of that enchanted spear,
The which this famous Britomart did bear ;
With which she wondrous deeds of arms achieved,
And overthrew whatever came her near,

That all those stranger knights full sore agrieved,
And that late weaker band of challengers relieved.

35 Like as in summer's day, when raging heat
Doth burn the earth and boiled rivers dry,
That all brute beasts, forced to refrain fro meat,1
Do hunt for shade where shrouded they may lie,
And, missing it, fain from themselves to fly 5;
All travellers tormented are with pain :

A wat'ry cloud doth overcast the sky,
And poureth forth a sudden show'r of rain,
That all the wretched world recomforteth again :

36 So did the warlike Britomart restore
The prize to knights of Maidenhead that day,

Which else was like to have been lost,1 and bore
The praise of prowess from them all away.
Then shrilling trumpets loudly gan to bray,
And bade them leave their labours and long toil
To joyous feast and other gentle play,2

Where beauty's prize should win that precious
spoil 3:

Where I with sound of trump will also rest awhile.

1 Like to have been lost. Artegall was disguised so that no one recognized him as one of the knights of Maidenhead.

2 Play, amusement.

3 That precious spoil, i.e. Florimell's girdle.

XI.

The girdle is given to the false Florimell. Scudamour spends the night in the house of Care.

I IT hath been through all ages ever seen,
That with the praise of arms and chivalry

The prize of beauty still hath joinèd been ;
And that for reason's special privity 1;
For either doth on other much rely :
For he me seems most fit the fair to serve,
That can her best defend from villainy ;
And she most fit his service doth deserve,
That fairest is, and from her faith will never

swerve.

2 So fitly now here cometh next in place,
After the proof of prowess ended well,

The controverse 2 of beauty's sovereign grace;
In which, to her that doth the most excel,
Shall fall the girdle of fair Florimell ;

That many wish to win for glory vain,

And not for virtuous use, which some do tell

That glorious belt, did in itself contain,

Which ladies ought to love, and seek for to
obtain.

1 For reason's special privity; means for a special and particular a peculiar phrase which probably reason.

2 Controverse, controversy.