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CANTO IV.

Guyon does Furor bind in chains,
And ftops Occafion:
Delivers Phedon, and therefore
By ftrife is rayl'd upon.

I.

IN brave pursuit of honourable deed,
There is I know not what great difference
Between the vulgar and the noble feed,
Which unto things of valorous pretence
Seems to be borne by native influence;
As feats of arms, and love to entertain:
But chiefly skill to ride, feems a science
Proper to gentle blood; fome others fain
To menage fteeds, as did this vaunter; but in vain.

II.

But he (the rightful owner of that steed)

Who well could menage and fubdue his pride, The whiles on foot was forced for to yeed, With that black Palmer, his most trufty guide; Who fuffred not his wandring feet to flide. But when strong paffion, or weak fleshliness Would from the right way feek to draw him wide, He would through temperance and stedfastness, Teach him the weak to ftrengthen, and the ftrong fupprefs.. III.

It fortuned, forth faring on his way,

He faw from far, or seemed for to fee
Some troublous uprore or contentious fray,
Whereto he drew in hafte it to agree.
A mad-man, or that feigned mad to be,
Drew by the hair along upon the ground,
A handsome stripling with great cruelty,

Whom fore he beat, and gor'd with many a wound, That cheekswith tears,andfides with blood did all abound.

IV.

And him behind, a wicked Hag did stalk,
In ragged robes, and filthy difarray,
Her other leg was lame, that the no'te walk,
But on a staff her feeble fteps did stay;
Her locks that loathly were, and hoary gray,
Grew all afore, and loosely hung unrold,
But all behind was bald, and worn away,
That none thereof could ever taken hold,
And eke her face ill-favour'd, full of wrinkles old,

V.

And ever as she went, her tongue did walk
In foul reproach, and terms of vile defpight,
Provoking him by her outrageous talk,

To heap more vengeance on that wretched wight.
Sometimes fhe raught him ftones, wherewith to fmite,
Sometimes her staff, though it her one leg were,
Withouten which fhe could not go upright;
Ne any evil means fhe did forbear,

That might him move to wrath, and indignation rear,
VI.

The noble Guyon mov'd with great remorse,
Approaching, firft the Hag did thrust away;
And after adding more impetuous force,
His mighty hands did on the mad-man lay,
And pluckt him back; who all on fire ftraitway,
Against him turning all his fell intent,

With beastly brutifh rage 'gan him affay,

And fmote, and bit, and kickt, and fcratcht, and rent, And did he wift not what in his avengement.

VII.

And fure he was a man of mickle might,

Had he had governance, it well to guide: But when the frantick fit inflam'd his fpright, His force was vain, and ftrook more often wide, Than at the aimed mark, which he had eyde: And oft himself he chanct to hurt unwares, Whilft reafon blent through paffion, nought defcryde, But as a blindfold Bull at random fares, [nought cares. And where he hits, nought knows, and whom he hurts,

VIII.

His rude affault and rugged handeling,

Strange feemed to the Knight, that aye with foe
In fair defence and goodly menaging
Of arms was wont to fight: yet nathemoe
Was he abathed now not fighting fo;
But more enfierced through his currifh play,
Him fternly gript, and haling to and fro,
To overthrow him ftrongly did affay,
But overthrew himself unwares, and lower lay.
IX.

And being down, the villain fore did beat,
And bruife with clownish fifts his manly face:
And eke the Hag with many a bitter threat,
Still call'd upon to kill him in the place.
With whofe reproach and odious menace
The Knight emboyling in his haughty heart,
Knit all his forces, and 'gan foon unbrace
His grafping hold: fo lightly did upstart,
And drew his deadly weapon to maintain his part.
X.

Which when the Palmer faw, he loudly cry'd,
Not fo, O Guyon, never think that fo
That monfter can be mafter'd or destroy'd:
He is not, ah he is not fuch a foe,

As fteel can wound, or ftrength can overthrow.
That fame is Furor curfed cruel wight,

That unto Knighthood works much fhame and woe.;
And that fame Hag, his aged mother, hight

Occafion, the root of all wrath and defpight.

XI.

With her, whofo will rageing Furor tame,
Must first begin, and well her amenage:
First her restrain from her reproachful blame,
And evil means with which the doth enrage.
Her frantick fon and kindles his courage:
Then when she is withdrawn, or strong withstood,
It's eath his idle fury to affwage,

And calm the tempeft of his paffion wood;

The banks are overflown, when stopped is the flood.

XII.

Therewith Sir Guyon left his firft emprife,

And turning to that woman faft her hent
By the hoar locks that hung before her eyes,
And to the ground her threw: yet n'ould the ftent
Her bitter railing and foul revilement,

But ftill provokt her fon to wreak her wrong;
But nathelefs he did her ftill torment,

And catching hold of her ungracious tong,
Thereon an iron lock did faften firm and ftrong.
XIII.

Then whenas use of speech was from her reft,
With her two crooked hands fhe figns did make,
And beckned him, the laft help she had left,
But he that laft left help away did take,
And both her hands faft bound unto a stake,
That she no'te ftir. Then 'gan her fon to fly
Full faft away, and did her quite forfake;
But Guyon after him in hafte did hye,
And foon him overtook in fad perplexity.

XIV.

In his strong arms he stifly him embract,
Who him gain-ftriving, nought at all prevail'd;
For all his powre was utterly defact,

And furious fits at earft quite weren quail'd:
Oft he renforct, and oft his forces fail'd,
Yet yield he would not, nor his rancour flack.
Then him to ground he cast, and rudely hail'd,
And both his hands faft bound behind his back,
And both his feet in fetters to an iron rack.

XV.

With hundred iron chains he did him bind,
And hundred knots that did him fore constrain:
Yet his great iron teeth he ftill did grind,
And grimly gnafh, threatning revenge in vain :
His burning eyen, whom bloody ftrakes did ftain,
Stared full wide, and threw forth sparks of fire,
And more for rank defpight, than for great pain,
Shakt his long locks, colour'd like copper-wire,
And bit his tawny beard to fhew his raging ire.

XVI.

Thus whenas Guyon, Furor had captiv'd,

Turning about, he faw that wretched Squire,
Whom that mad-man of life nigh late depriv'd,
Lying on ground, all foyld with blood and mire:
Whom whenas he perceived to respire,

He 'gan to comfort, and his wounds to drefs.
Being at laft recur'd he 'gan enquire,

What hard mishap him brought to fuch distress,
And made that caitives thrall, the thrall of wretchednefs.
XVII.

With heart then throbbing, and with watry eyes,
Fair Sir, quoth he, what man can fhun the hap,
That hidden lies unwares him to surprise?
Misfortune waits advantage to entrap

The man moft wary, in her whelming lap.
So me weak wretch, of many weakest one,
Unweeting and unware of fuch mishap,

She brought to mifchief through occafion,
Where this fame wicked villain did me light upon.
XVIII.

It was a faithlefs Squire, that was the fourfe
Of all my forrow, and of thefe fad tears,
With whom from tender dug of common nourfe,
Attonce I was upbrought; and eft when years
More ripe as reafon lent to chufe our peers.
Ourselves in league of vowed love we knit:
In which we long time without jealous fears,
Or faulty thoughts continu'd, as was fit;
And for my part (I vow) diffembled not a whit.
XIX.

It was my fortune (common to that age)
To love a Lady fair of great degree,
The which was born of noble parentage,
And set in highest feat of dignity,

Yet feem'd no lefs to love, than lov'd to be:
Long I her ferv'd, and found her faithful ftill,

Ne ever thing could cause us disagree:

Love that two hearts makes one, makes eke one will Each strove to pleafe, and others pleasure to fulfil

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