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XXXIX.

What worlds delight, or joy of living speech
Can heart, fo plung'd in fea of forrows deep,
And heaped with fo huge misfortunes, reach?
The careful cold beginneth for to creep,
And in my heart his iron arrow steep,
Soon as I think upon my bitter bale:
Such helpless harms it's better hidden keep,
Than rip up grief, where it may not avail,
My laft left comfort is, my woes to weep and wail.
XL.

Ah Lady dear, quoth then the gentle Knight,
Well may I ween, your grief is wondrous great;
For wondrous great grief groneth in my spright,
Whiles thus I hear you of your forrows treat.
But woeful Lady, let me you intreat,
For to unfold the anguish of your heart:
Mifhaps are maftred by advice discreet,
And counfel mitigates the greatest smart;
Found never help, who never would his hurts impart.
XLI.

O! but (quoth fhe) great grief will not be told,
And can more eafily be thought, than faid.
Right fo (quoth he) but he, that never would,
Could never will to might gives greatest aid.
But grief (quoth fhe) does greater grow difplaid
If then it find not help, and breeds defpair.
Defpair breeds not (quoth he) where faith is ftaid.
No faith fo faft (quoth fhe) but flesh does pair.
Flesh may impair (quoth he) but reafon can repair.
XLII.

His goodly reason, and well guided fpeech,
So deep did fettle in her gracious thought,
That her perfuaded to difclofe the breach,

Which love and fortune in her heart had wrought,
And faid; fair Sir, I hope good hap hath brought
You to inquire the fecrets of my grief,
Or that your wifdom will direct my thought,
Or that your prowess can me yield relief:

Then hear the ftory fad, which I fhall tell you brief.

XLIII.

The forlorn maiden, whom your eyes have feen
The laughing stock of fortunes mockeries,
Am th' only daughter of a King and Queen,
Whofe parents dear, whilft equal deftinies
Did run about, and their felicities
The favourable heavens did not envy,
Did fpred their rule through all the territories
Which Phifon and Euphrates floweth by,
And Gebons golden waves do wafh continually;
XLIV.

Till that their cruel curfed enemy,

An huge great dragon horrible in fight,
Bred in the loathly lakes of Tartary,

With murdrous ravine, and devouring might
Their Kingdom spoil'd, and countrey wafted quight:
Themselves, for fear into his jaws to fall,

He forct to castle strong to take their flight,
Where faft embar'd in mighty brazen wall,
He has them now four years befieg'd to make them thrall.
XLIV.

Full many Knights adventurous and ftout,
Have enterpriz❜d that monster to fubdew;
From every coaft that heaven walks about,
Have thither come the noble martial crew,
That famous hard atchievements ftill purfew,
Yet never any could that girlond win,

But all ftill fhrunk, and ftill he greater grew:
All they for want of faith, or guilt of fin,
The pitious prey of his fierce cruelty have bin.
XLVI.

And last, yled with far reported praise,

Which flying fame throughout the world had spread, Of doughty Knights, whom Fairy land did raile, That noble order hight of maidenhead,

Forthwith to court of Gloriane I fped;

Of Gloriane, great Queen of glory bright,
Whofe Kingdoms feat Cleopolis is read,
There to obtain some such redoubted Knight,

That parents dear from tyrants powre deliver might.

XLVII.

It was my chance (my chance was fair and good)
There for to find a fresh unproved Knight,
Whose manly hands imbrew'd in guilty blood
Had never been, ne ever by his might
Had thrown to ground the unregarded right:
Yet of his prowess, proof he fince hath made
(I witness am) in many a cruel fight;

The groning ghofts of many one dismaid
Have felt the bitter dint of his avenging blade.
XLVIII.

And ye the forlorn reliques of his powre,
His biting fword and his devouring fpear,
Which have endured many a dreadful stowre,
Can fpeak his prowefs, that did earst you bear,
And well could rule: now he hath left you here,
To be the record of his rueful lofs,

And of my doleful difadventurous dreare;
O! heavy record of the good Redcrofs,

Where have you left your Lord, that could fo well you tofs?
XLIX.

Well hoped I, and fair beginnings had,

That he my captive langour fhould redeem,
Till all unweeting, an Enchanter bad
His fenfe abus'd, and made him to mifdeem
My loyalty, not fuch as it did feem;

That rather death defire, than fuch defpight.
Be judge ye heavens, that all things right efteem,
How I him lov'd, and love with all my might,
So thought I eke of him, and think I thought aright.
L.

Thenceforth me defolate he quite forfook,

To wander where wild fortune would me lead,
And other by-ways he himself betook,
Where never foot of living wight did tread,
That brought not back the baleful body dead;
In which him chanced falfe Duella meet,
Mine only foe, mine only deadly dread,
Who with her witchcraft and miffeeming fweet,
Inveigled him to follow her defires unmect.

LI.

At last, by fubtil fleights fhe him betraid
Unto his foe, a Giant huge and tall,
Who him, difarmed, diffolute, dismaid,
Unwares surprised, and with mighty mall
The monster merciless him made to fall,
Whofe fall did never foe before behold;
And now in darkefom dungeon, wretched thrall,
Remedilefs, for aye he doth him hold;

This is my cause of grief, more great than may be told.
LII.

Ere she had ended all, fhe 'gan to faint :
But he her comforted and fair bespake,
Certes, Madam, ye have great cause of plaint,
That ftouteft heart, I ween, could caufe to quake.
But be of chear, and comfort to you take
For, till I have acquit your captive Knight,
Affure your felf, I will you not forfake.

His chearful words reviv'd her chearless fpright:
So forth they went, the Dwarf them guiding ever right.

A

CANTO VIII.

Fair Virgin, to redeem her dear,
Brings Arthur to the fight:

Who flayes the Giant, wounds the beast,
And ftrips Dueffa quight.

I.

Y me! how many perils do enfold

The righteous man, to make him daily fall?
Were not that heavenly grace doth him uphold,
And stedfaft truth acquit him out of all.
Her love is firm, her care continual,

So oft as he, through his own foolish pride,
Or weakness, is to finful bands made thrall:

Elfe fhould this Redcross Knight in bands have dide.

For whofe deliverance fhe this Prince doth thither guide.

II.

They fadly travel'd thus, until they came,
Nigh to a castle builded strong and high:
Then cry'd the Dwarf, lo, yonder is the fame,
In which my Lord my liege doth luckless lie,
Thrall to that Giants hateful tyranny:
Therefore, dear Sir, your mighty powres affay,
The noble Knight alighted by and by

From lofty steed, and bade the Lady stay,
To fee what end of fight fhould him befall that day.
III.

So with the Squire, th' admirer of his might,
He marched forth towards that caftle wall;
Whose gates he found faft fhut, ne living wight
To warde the fame, nor anfwer commers call.
Then took that Squire an horn of bugle small,
Which hung adown his fide in twisted gold,
And taffels gay. Wide wonders over all
Of that fame horns great vertues weren told,
Which had approved been in ufes manifold.
IV.

Was never wight that heard that fhrilling found,
But trembling fear did feel in every vein;
Three miles it might be eafie heard around,
And Ecchoes three anfwerd it felf again:
No false enchantment, nor deceitful train
Might once abide the terror of that blast,
But presently was void and wholly vain :
No gate so strong, no lock fo firm and fast,
But with that piercing noise flew open quite, or braft.

V.

The fame before the Giants gate he blew,
That all the castle quaked from the ground,
And every door of free-will open flew.
The Giant felf difmayed with that found
(Where he with his Dueffa dalliance found)
In hafte came rufhing forth from inner bowre,
With ftaring count'nance ftern, as one aftound,
And ftaggering fteps, to weet what fuddain ftowre
Had wrought that horror ftrange, and dar'd his dreaded

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