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XXXI.

Now 'gan the golden Phabus for to steep,
His fiery face in billows of the weft,
And his faint fteeds watred in ocean deep,
Whiles from their journal labours they did reft
When that infernal Monfter, having keft
His, weary foe into that living Well,

Gan high advance his broad discouloured breast Above his wonted pitch, with countenance fell, And clapt his iron wings, as victor he did dwell. XXXII.

Which when his penfive Lady faw from far,
Great woe and forrow did her foul affay;
As weening that, the fad end of the war,
And 'gan to highest God entirely pray,
That feared chance from her to turn away;
With folded hands and knees full lowly bent
All night the watcht, ne once adown would lay
Her dainty limbs in her fad dreriment,

But praying still did wake, and waking did lament.
XXXIII.

2

The morrow next 'gan early to appear,
That Titan rofe to run his daily race;
But early ere the morrow next 'gan rear
Out of the Sea fair Titans dewy face,
Up rofe the gentle virgin from her place,
And looked all about if she might spy
Her loved Knight to move his manly pace:
For the had great doubt of his fafety,
Since late fhe faw him fall before his enemy.
XXXIV.

At last she saw, where he upstarted brave
Out of the Well, wherein he drenched lay;
As Eagle fresh out of the ocean wave,
Where he hath left his plumes all hoary gray,
And deckt himself with feathers youthly gay,
Like Eyas Hawk up mounts unto the skies,
His newly budded pineons to affay,
And marvels at himself, ftill as he flies:

So new, this new-born Knight to battle new did rife.

XXXV.

Whom, when the damned fiend fo fresh did spy,
No wonder if he wondred at the fight,
And doubted, whether his late enemy
It were, or other new supplyed Knight.
He now to prove his late renewed might,
High brandishing his bright dew burning blade,
Upon his crested scalp fo fore did fmite,
That to the fcull a yawning wound it made:
The deadly dint his dulled fenfes all dismaid.
XXXVI.

I wote not, whether the revenging steel
Were hardned with that holy water dew
Wherein he fell, or fharper edge did feel,
Or his baptized hands now greater grew;
Or other fecret vertue did enfew ;

Elfe never could the force of fleshly arm,

Ne molten metal in his blood embrew:

For till that stound, could never wight him harm, By fubtilty, nor flight, nor might, nor mighty charm. XXXVII.

The cruel wound enraged him fo fore,

That loud he yelled for exceeding pain;
As hundred ramping Lyons feem'd to rore,
Whom ravenous hunger did thereto constrain :
Then 'gan he tofs aloft his ftretched train,
And therewith fcourge the buxome air fo fore,
That to his force to yielden it was fain;

Ne ought his sturdy ftrokes might stand afore,
That high trees overthrew, and rocks in pieces tore,
XXXVIII.

The fame advancing high above his head,

With sharp intended fting fo rude him fmot,
That to the earth him drove, as ftriken dead;
Ne living wight would have him life behot:
The mortal fting his angry needle shot

Quite through his fhield, and in his fhoulder feas'd,
Where faft it stuck, ne would thereout be got:
The grief thereof him wondrous fore difeas'd,
Ne might his rankling pain with patience be appeas'd.

XXXIX.

But yet more mindful of his honour dear,
Than of the grievous fmart which him did wring,
From loathed foil he 'gan him lightly rear,
And ftrove to loofe the far infixed fting:
Which when in vain he tride with ftrugeling,
Inflam'd with wrath, his raging blade he heft,
And ftrook so strongly, that the knotty ftring
Of his huge tail he quite afunder cleft,

Five joynts thereof he hew'd, and but the ftump him left.
XL.

Heart cannot think, what outrage, and what cryes,
With foul enfouldred fmoak and flashing fire,
The hell-bred beast threw forth unto the skyes,
That all was covered with darkness dire:
Then fraught with rancour, and engorged ire,,
He caft attonce him to avenge for all,
And gathering up himself out of the mire,
With his uneven wings did fiercely fall

Upon his fun-bright fhield, and gript it faft withall.r
XLI.

Much was the man encombred with his hold,
In fear to lose his weapon in his paw,
Ne wift yet how his talons to unfold:
For harder was from Cerberas greedy jaw
To pluck a bone, than from his cruel claw
To reave by ftrength the griped gage away.
Thrice he affaid it from his foot to draw,
And thrice in vain to draw it did affay,
It booted nought to think, to rob him of his prey.
XLII.

Tho' when he faw no power might prevail,
His trusty fword he cald to his last aid,
Wherewith he fiercely did his foe affail,
And double blows about him ftoutly laid,
That glancing fire out of the iron plaid;
As fparkles from the anvile ufe to fly,
When heavy hammers on the wedge are fwaid;
Therewith at laft he forct him to untie

One of his grafping feet, him to defend thereby..
VOL. I.

L

XLIII.

The other foot faft fixed on his fhield,

Whenas no ftrength nor ftrokes mote him constrain
To loofe, ne yet the warlike pledge to yield,
He smote thereat with all his might and main,
That nought fo wondrous puiffance might sustain;
Upon the joint the lucky fteel did light,

And made fuch way, that hew'd it quite in twain;
The paw yet miffed not his minifht might,
But hung ftill on the thield, as it at first was pight.
XLIV.

For grief thereof, and divelifh defpight,

From his infernal fornance forth he threw
Huge flames, that dimmed all the heavens light,
Enrold in dufkish smoak and brimstone blue;
As burning Etna from his boyling stew
Doth belch out flames, and rocks in pieces broke,
And ragged ribs of mountains molten new,
Enwrapt in coal black clouds and filthy fmoke,
Thatallthe land with flench, andheaven with horror choke.
XLV.

The heat whereof, and harmful pestilence,
So fore him noyd, that forct him to retire
A little backward for his best defence,
To fave his body from the fcorching fire,
Which he from hellifh entrails did expire.
It chanct (eternal God that chance did guide)
As he recoyled backward, in the mire

His nigh forwearied feeble feet did flide,

And down he fell, with dread of fhame fore terrifide.
XLVI.

There grew a goodly tree him fair befide,
Loaden with fruit and apples rofie red,
As they in pure vermillion had been dide,
Whereof great vertues over all were read :
For happy life to all which thereon fed,
And life eke everlafting did befall :
Great God it planted in that bleffed sted
With his almighty hand, and did it call
The tree of Life, the crime of our first fathers fall.

XLVII.

In all the world like was not to be found,

Save in that foil, where all good things did grow,
And freely fprung out of the fruitful ground,
As incorrupted nature did them fow,

Till that dread Dragon all did overthrow.
Another like fair tree eke grew thereby,
Whereof whofo did eat, eftfoons did know
Both good and evil : O mournful memory!

That tree through one mans fault hath done us all to dye.
XLVIII.

From that first tree forth flow'd, as from a Well,
A trickling ftream of balm most foverain
And dainty dear, which on the ground ftill fell,
And overflowed all the fertile plain,

As it had dewed been with timely rain:

Life and long health that gracious oyntment gave,
And deadly wounds could heal, and rear again
The fenfelefs corfe appointed for the grave.

Into that fame he fell which did from death him fave.
XLIX.

For nigh thereto the ever damned beaft

Durft not approach, for he was deadly made,
And all that life preferved, did deteft:
Yet he it oft adventur'd to invade.

By this the drooping day-light 'gan to fade,
And yield his room to fad fucceeding night,
Who with her fable mantle 'gan to fhade
The face of earth, and ways of living wight,
And high her burning torch fet up in heaven bright. 1
L.

When gentle Una faw the fecond fall

Of her dear Knight, who weary of long fight,
And faint through lofs of blood, mov'd not at all,
But lay as in a dream of deep delight,

Befmeard with pretious balm, whofe vertuous might
Did heal his wounds, and fcorching heat alay,
Again the ftriken was with fore affright,

And for his fafety 'gan devoutly pray,

And watch the noyous night, and wait for joyous day.

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