Her faithful Knight fair Una brings
To houfe of Holiness;
Where be is taught repentance, and
The way to Heavenly bless.
Hat man is he, that boasts of fleshly might,
man
And vain affurance of mortality,
Which all fo foon as it doth come to fight
Against fpiritual foes, yields by and by,
Or from the field most cowardly doth fly?
Ne let the man afcribe it to his skill,
That thorough grace hath gained victory.
If any strength we have, it is to ill:
But all the good is Gods, both power and eke will.
II.
By that which lately hapned, Una faw
That this her Knight was feeble, and too faint;
And all his finews woxen weak and raw,
Through long imprisonment, and hard conftraint,
Which he endured in his late restraint,
That yet he was unfit for bloody fight:
Therefore to cherifh him with diets daint,
She caft to bring him, where he chearen might,
Till he recovered had his late decayed plight.
There was an ancient house not far away,
Renown'd throughout the world for facred lore,
And pure unfpotted life: fo well they fay
It govern'd was, and guided evermore
Through wisdom of a matron grave and hore;
Whofe only joy was to relieve the needs
Of wretched fouls, and help the helpless poor;
All night she spent in bidding of her beads,
And all the day in doing good and godly deeds,
Dame Calia men did her call, as thought
From heaven to come, or thither to arife,
The mother of three daughters well up-brought
In goodly thews, and godly exercise :
The eldest two most fober, chaste, and wife,
Fidelia and Speranza virgins were,
• Though fpous'd, yet wanting wedlocks folemnize;
But fair Chariffa to a lovely fere
Was linked, and by him had many pledges dear.
V.
Arrived there, the door they find fast lockt;
For it was warely watched night and day,
For fear of many foes: but when they knockt,
The porter open'd unto them ftraightway:
He was an aged Sire all hory gray,
With looks full lowly caft, and gate full flow,
Wont on a staff his feeble fteps to stay,
Hight Humilta. They pafs in ftooping low;
For ftraight and narrow was the way which he did fhow.
.VI.
Each goodly thing is hardest to begin :
But entred in a fpacious court they fee,
Both plain, and pleasant to be walked in,
Where them does meet a Franklin fair and free,
And entertains with comely courteous glee,
His name was Zeale, that him right well became ;
For in his speeches and behaviour he
Did labour lively to express the same,
And gladly did them guide, till to the hall they came.
There fairly them receives a gentle Squire,
Of mild demeanure, and rare courtefie,
Right cleanly clad in comely fad attire ;
In word and deed that fhew'd great modefty,
And knew his good to all of each degree,
Hight Reverence. He them with speeches meet
Does fair intreat; no courting nicety,
But fimple true, and eke unfeighned fweet,
As might become a Squire fo great perfons to greet.
And afterwards them to his Dame he leads,
That aged Dame, the Lady of the place :
Who all this while was bufie at her beads:
Which doen, fhe up arose with seemly grace,
And toward them full matronely did pace.
Where, when that faireft Una fhe beheld,
Whom well she knew to fpring from heavenly race,
Her heart with joy unwonted inly fweld,
As feeling wondrous comfort in her weaker eld,
IX.
And her embracing faid, O happy earth,
Whereon thy innocent feet do ever tread,
Most virtuous virgin, born of heavenly birth,
That to redeem thy woeful parents head,
From tyrants rage, and ever-dying dread,
Haft wandred through the world now long a day';
Yet ceaseft not thy weary foles to lead,
What grace hath thee now hither brought this
Or doen thy feeble feet unweeting hither ftray?
Strange thing it is an errant Knight to fee
Here in this place, or any other wight,
That hither turns his fteps. So few there be
That chufe the narrow path, or feek the right:
All keep the broad high-way, and take delight
With many rather for to go aftray,
And be partakers of their evil plight,
Than with a few to walk the rightest way;
O foolish men! why hafte ye to your own decay?
XI.
Thyfelf to fee, and tired limbs to rest,
O matrone fage (quoth fhe) I hither came,
And this good Knight his way with me addrest,
Led with thy praises and broad blazed fame,
That up to heaven is blown. The ancient Dame
Him goodly greeted in her modeft guise,
And entertaind them both, as best became,
With all the court'fies that fhe could devife,
Ne wanted ought, to fhew her bounteous or wife,
Thus as they 'gan of fundry things devise,
Lo two moft goodly virgins came in place,
Ylinked arm in arm in lovely wife,
With countenance demure, and modeft grace,
They numbred even steps, and equal pace:
Of which the eldeft, that Fidelia hight,
Like funny beams threw from her chrystal face, That could have daz'd the rash beholders fight, And round about her head did shine like heavens light. XIII.
She was arrayed all in lilly white,
And in her right hand bore a cup of gold,
With wine and water fild up to the height,
In which a Serpent did himself enfold,
That horrour made to all that did behold;
But the no whit did change her constant mood:
And in her other hand fhe faft did hold
A book, that was both fignd and feald with blood, Wherein dark things were writ, hard to be understood. XIV.
Her younger fifter, that Speranza hight,
Was clad in blue, that her befeemed well;
Not all fo chearful feemed fhe of fight,
As was her fifter; whether dread did dwell,
Or anguish in her heart, is hard to tell.
Upon her arm a filver anchor lay,
Whereon fhe leaned ever, as befell:
And ever up to heaven as fhe did pray,
Her stedfast eyes were bent, ne fwarved other way.
XV.
They seeing Una, towards her 'gan wend,
Who them encounters with like courtefie:
Many kind speeches they between them spend,
And greatly joy each other for to fee:
Then to the Knight with fhamefact modesty
They turn themselves, at Una's meek requeft,
And him falute with well befeeming glee;
Who fair them quites, as him befeemed beft,
And goodly 'gan difcourfe of many a noble guest.
Then Una thus: but fhe your fifter dear,
The dear Chariffa, where is the become?
Or wants fhe health, or bufie is elsewhere ?
Ah no, faid they, but forth fhe may not come :
For the of late is lightned of her womb,
And hath encreaft the world with one fon more,
That her to fee should be but troublesome.
Indeed (quoth fhe) that should be trouble fore:
But thankt be God, and her encreafe fo evermore.
XVII.
Then faid the aged Calia, dear Dame,
And you good Sir, I wote that of your toyl,
And labours long, through which ye hither came,
Ye both forwearied be: therefore a while
I read you reft, and to your bowres recoy!.
Then called fhe a Groom, that forth him led
Into a goodly lodge, and 'gan defpoy!
Of puiffant arms, and laid in eafie bed;
His name was meek Obedience rightfully ared.
Now when their weary limbs with kindly reft,
And bodies were refresht with due repaft,
Fair Una 'gan Fidelia fair request
To have her Knight into her school-house plact,
That of her heavenly learning he might tafte,
And hear the wifdom of her words divine.
She granted, and that Knight fo much agract,
That the him taugh celeftial difcipline,
And opened his dull eyes, that light mote in them shine.
XIX.
And that her facred book, with blood ywrit,
That none could read, except fhe did them teach,
She unto him difclofed every whit,
And heavenly documents thereout did preach,
That weaker wit of man could never reach,
Of God, of grace, of juftice, of free will,
That wonder was to hear her goodly speech:
For fhe was able with her words to kill,
And raise again to life the heart, that she did thrill.
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