XIII.

Prince Arthur, having rescued Amoret, leaves her and goes to the assistance of Britomart and Scudamour.

The poet tells how Amoret was stolen by a monstrous creature,

a wild and salvage man,—

Yet was no man, but only like in shape, —

and how she was carried by him to his cave. After much suffering she managed to make her escape, and later fell in with Prince Arthur, the perfect knight. He cared for her most tenderly. As they were journeying together in the hope of meeting Scudamour, Amoret's husband, they saw in the distance a group of knights, among them,- Druon, Claribell, Blandamour, and Paridell.

I BUT those two other, which beside them stood,
Were Britomart and gentle Scudamour;
Who all the while beheld their wrathful mood,
And wond'red at their implacable stoure,1
Whose like they never saw till that same hour:
So dreadful strokes each did at other drive,
And laid on load with all their might and pow'r,
As if that every dint 2 the ghost 3 would rive

Out of their wretched corses,5 and their lives.
deprive 6:

2 As when Dan Æolus,' in great displeasure For loss of his dear love by Neptune hent,8

1 Stoure, assault.

2 Dint, blow.

3 Ghost, spirit.

4 Rive, rend, tear.

5 Corses, bodies.

6 Deprive, destroy.

Eolus, the ruler of the winds. 8 Hent, seized, taken away.

Sends forth the winds out of his hidden treasure
Upon the sea to wreak his full intent;

They, breaking forth with rude unruliment 1
From all four parts of heaven, do rage full sore,
And toss the deeps, and tear the firmament,
And all the world confound with wide uproar;
As if instead thereof they chaos would restore.

2

3 Cause of their discord and so fell debate
Was for the love of that same snowy maid,3
Whom they had lost in tournament of late;
And, seeking long to weet which way she strayed,
Met here together; where, through lewd upbraid
Of Atè and Duessa, they fell out;

And each one taking part in other's aid,

This cruel conflict raised thereabout,

Whose dangerous success depended yet in doubt 6:

4 For sometimes Paridell and Blandamour
The better had, and bet the others back;
Eftsoones the others did the field recoure,8
And on their foes did work full cruel wrack 9:
Yet neither would their fiend-like fury slack,
But evermore their malice did augment;

1 Unruliment, unruliness.

2 Fell debate, fierce contest.

8 That same snowy maid, i.e. the false Florimell, the lady that received the magic girdle. It will be remembered that she left the tournament with Braggadochio. 4 Weet, know.

5 Lewd upbraid, wicked contumely.

6 Whose dangerous success, etc., i.e. the issue of this dangerous conflict was still doubtful.

7 Eftsoones, immediately.
8 Recoure, recover.
9 Wrack, ruin.

1

Till that unneath 1 they forced were, for lack
Of breath, their raging rigour to relent,

And rest themselves for to recover spirits spent.

5 There gan they change their sides, and new parts take;

For Paridell did take to Druon's side,

For old despite which now forth newly brake
Gainst Blandamour, whom always he enviéd 2;
And Blandamour to Claribell relide 3:

So all afresh gan former fight renew.

As when two barks, this carried with the tide,
That with the wind, contráry courses sew,*

If wind and tide do change, their courses change.

anew.

6 Thenceforth they much more furiously gan fare,5 As if but then the battle had begun;

Ne helmets bright ne hauberks strong did spare,
That through the clifts the vermeil 7 blood out-spun,
And all adown their riven 8 sides did run.
Such mortal9 malice wonder was to see

In friends professed, and so great outrage done:
But sooth is said, 10 and tried in each degree,11
Faint friends when they fall out most cruel foemen be.

1 Unneath, with difficulty.

2 Envied, i.e. had a grudge

against.

3 Relide, joined himself.

4 Sew, pursue.

5 Gan fare, did proceed. 6 Clifts, openings.

7 Vermeil, vermillion.

8 Riven, torn, wounded.

9 Mortal, deadly.

10 Sooth is said, i.e. it is truly said.

11 Tried in each degree, experienced in every station in life.

7 Thus they long while continuèd in fight;
Till Scudamour and that same Briton maid
By fortune in that place did chance to light:
Whom soon as they with wrathful eye bewrayed,1
They gan remember of the foul upbraid,2
The which that Britoness had to them done

In that late tourney for the snowy maid;

Where she had them both shamefully fordonne,3
And eke the famous prize of beauty from them won.

8 Eftsoones all burning with a fresh desire
Of fell 5 revenge, in their malicious mood
They from themselves gan turn their furious ire,
And cruel blades yet steaming with hot blood
Against those two let drive, as they were wood 7:
Who wond'ring much at that so sudden fit,8

6

Yet nought dismayed, them stoutly well withstood;
Ne yielded foot, ne once aback did flit,

But, being doubly smitten, likewise doubly smit.

9 The warlike dame was on her part assayed
Of Claribell and Blandamour attone 9;
And Paridell and Druon fiercely laid

At Scudamour, both his professèd fone 10:
Four charged two, and two surchargèd 11 one;

1 Bewrayed, discovered.

2 Upbraid, injury.

3 Fordonne, undone, means

here, utterly defeated.

4 Eke, also.

5 Fell, fierce.
• As, as though.

7 Wood, mad.

8 Fit, attack.

11

9 Attone, at once.

10 Fone, foes.

11 Surcharged, attacked with superior force.

Yet did those two themselves so bravely beare,
That the other little gainèd by the loan,
But with their own repayèd duly weare,

And usury withal: such gain was gotten deare.

10 Full oftentimes did Britomart assay

To speak to them, and some emparlance1 move;
But they for nought their cruel hands would stay,
Ne lend an ear to ought that might behove 2:
As when an eager mastiff once doth prove3
The taste of blood of some engorèd beast,
No words may rate, nor rigour him remove
From greedy hold of that his bloody feast,-
So little did they hearken to her sweet beheast.5

II Whom when the Briton prince afar beheld
With odds of so unequal match oppressed,
His mighty heart with indignation swelled,
And inward grudge filled his heroic breast:
Eftsoones himself he to their aid addressed,
And, thrusting fierce into the thickest preace,7
Divided them, however loath to rest;

And would them fain from battle to surceasse,8
With gentle words persuading them to friendly peace:

12 But they so far from peace or patience were, That all at once at him gan fiercely fly,

1 Emparlance, parley.

2 That might behove, that was

fitting.

8 Prove, experience.

4 Rate, check by chiding.

5 Beheast, behest.

6 Briton prince, Prince Arthur. 7 Preace, press.

8 Surceasse, desist.