13 She also doft her heavy haberieon,1

Which the fair feature of her limbs did hide ;
And her well-plighted frock, which she did won 3
To tuck about her short when she did ride,
She low let fall, that flowed from her lank side
Down to her foot with careless modestee.

Then of them all she plainly was espied

To be a

womanwight, unwist to be,
The fairest womanwight that ever eye did see.

14 Like as Bellona, being late returned
From slaughter of the giants conquerèd, -
Where proud Encelade,5 whose wide nostrils

burned

With breathèd flames like to a furnace red,
Tran sfixèd with her spear, down tumbled dead
From top of Hemus 6 by him heapèd high, -
Hath loosed her helmet from her lofty head,

And

her Gorgonian shield 7 gins to untie From her left arm, to rest in glorious victory.

15 Which whenas they beheld, they smitten were

1

With

great amazement at so wondrous sight;

And each on other, and they all on her,
Stood gazing; as if sudden great affright

Haberieon, habergeon, coat of

mail.

2

& Did won,

Well-plighted, well-folded.

did use.

A Bellona, the goddess of war; here stands for Minerva.

5 Encelade, Enceladus, the giant buried under Mount Aetna.

6 Hemus, Haemus; ancient name of the Balkan mountains.

7 Gorgonian shield, Minerva's Ishield which bore the fatal Gorgon's head.

Had them surprised. At last avising1 right
Her goodly personage and glorious hue,

Which they so much mistook, they took delight

In their first error, and yet still anew

With wonder of her beauty fed their hungry view:

16 Yet note their hungry view be satisfied,

But, seeing, still the more desired to see,
And ever firmly fixèd did abide

In contemplation of divinitee :

But most they marvelled at her chivalree

And noble prowess, which they had approved,3
That much they fained to know who she mote 5 be;
Yet none of all them her thereof amoved;

Yet every one her liked, and every one her loved.

The lady of the castle soon appeared and kindly welcomed the warriors.

17 Now, when of meats and drinks they had their fill, Purpose was movèd by that gentle dame

Unto those knights adventurous, to tell
Of deeds of arms which unto them became,7
And every one his kindred and his name.

18 So long these knights discoursèd diversely Of strange affairs, and noble hardiment,

1 Avising, contemplating.

2 Note, could not.

8 Approved, proved.

4 Fained, desired.

5 Mote, might.

6 Amoved, i.e. questioned.

7 Became, happened.
8 Hardiment, bold deeds,

Which they had passed with mickle jeopardy,
That now the humid night was far forth spent,
And heavenly lamps were halfendeale 1 ybrent 2:
Which th' old man 3 seeing well, who too long

thought

Every discourse, and every argument,

1

VI.

Amoret and the Garden of Venus.

Scudamour, whom Britomart was about to meet, was the husband of the beautiful Amoret. Amoret was the daughter of Chrysogonee and the twin sister of Belphoebe. Soon after the birth of these children, Chrysogonee fell asleep in a forest; and the goddesses Venus and Diana happening along just then, took each a child from the sleeping mother.

I UP they them took, each one a babe uptook,
And with them carried to be fostered:
Dame Phoebe1 to a nymph her babe betook
To be upbrought in perfect maidenhead,2
And, of herself, her name Belphoebe read 3:
But Venus hers thence far away conveyed,
To be upbrought in goodly womanhead;

And, in her little Love's stead which was strayed,*
Her Amoretta called, to comfort her dismayed.5

2 She brought her to her joyous paradise

Where most she wonnes, when she on earth does dwell :

So fair a place as nature can devise:

1 Phœbe, Diana, the goddess of the moon; the maiden goddess

devoted to the chase.

2 Maidenhead, maidenhood.
3 And, of herself, her name Bel-
5 Dismayed, dejected.

phabe read, i.e. called her Belphoebe, after herself.

4 In her little Love's stead, etc., i.e. in the place of Cupid who had run away from his mother.

6 Wonnes, dwells.

4

Whether in Paphos,1 or Cytheron hill,2
Or it in Gnidus 3 be, I wote not well;
But well I wote by trial, that this same
All other pleasant places doth excel,
And called is, by her lost lover's name,
The garden of Adonis,5 far renowmed by fame.

3 There is continual spring, and harvest there
Continual, both meeting at one time:

For both the boughs do laughing blossoms bear,
And with fresh colors deck the wanton prime,
And eke attonce the heavy trees they climb,
Which seem to labour under their fruits' load:
The whiles the joyous birds make their pastime
Among the shady leaves, their sweet abode,
And their true loves without suspicion tell abroad.

4 Right in the middest of that paradise

There stood a stately mount, on whose round top
A gloomy grove of myrtle trees did rise,
Whose shady boughs sharp steel did never lop,
Nor wicked beasts their tender buds did crop,
But like a garland compassèd the height,
And from their fruitful sides sweet gum did drop,

1 Paphos, a city on the island of Cyprus, which contained a celebrated temple of Venus.

2 Cytheron hill, refers to the town of Cythera in Crete, or to the island of Cythera, where Venus was said to have first landed.

3 Gnidus, a Doric city in Caria

celebrated for its statue of Venus,
the work of Praxiteles.
4 Wote, know.

5 Adonis, a youth of extraordinary beauty beloved by Venus, and by her changed into an anemone.

6 Wanton prime, luxuriant spring.

7 Eke attonce, also together.