What fecret place, quoth he, can fafely hold
So huge a mafs, and hide from heavens eye?
Or where haft thou thy wonne, that so much gold
Thou canst preserve from wrong and robbery?
Come thou, quoth he, and fee. So by and by
Through that thick covert he him led, and found
A darksome way, which no man could defcry,
That deep defcended through the hollow ground,
And was with dread and horrour compaffed around.
XXI.
At length they came into a larger space,
That ftretcht itself into an ample plain,
Through which a beaten broad highway did trace,
That ftrait did lead to Plutos griefly reign:
By that ways fide, there fate infernal Pain,
And faft befide him fate tumultuous Strife:
The one in hand an iron whip did strain;
The other brandifhed a bloody knife,
And both did gnafh their teeth, and both did threaten life
XXII.
On th' other fide, in one confort there fate
Cruel Revenge, and rancorous Defpight,
Difloyal Treafon, and heart-burning Hate:
But gnawing Jealoufy, out of their fight
Sitting alone, his bitter lips did bite,
And trembling Fear ftill to and fro did fly,
And found no place, where fafe he shroud him might
Lamenting Sorrow did in darkness lye,
And fhame his ugly face did hide from living eye.
XXIII.
And over them fad Horrour, with grim hew,
Did always foar, beating his iron wings;
And after him, owls and Night-ravens flew,
The hateful meffengers of heavy things,
Of death and dolour telling fad tydings;
Whiles fad Celeno, fitting on a clift,
A fong of bale and bitter forrow fings,
That heart of flint asunder could have rift:
Which having ended, after him fhe flyeth fwift.
VOL. I.
All these before the gates of Pluto lay,
By whom they paffing, fpake unto them nought.
But th' Elfin Knight with wonder all the way
Did feed his eyes, and fill'd his inner thought.
At laft him to a little door he brought,
That to the gate of hell which gaped wide,
Was next adjoyning, ne them parted ought:
Betwixt them both was but a little ftride,
That did the house of riches from hell-mouth divide.
XXV.
Before the door fate felf-confuming Care,
Day and night keeping wary watch and ward,
For fear leaft Force or Fraud fhould unaware
Break in, and spoil the treasure there in guard:
Ne would he fuffer Sleep once thitherward
Approach, albe his drowfie den were next;
For next to death is fleep to be compar'd:
Therefore his houfe is unto his annext;
Here Sleep, thereRiches, and Hell-gate them both betwixt.
XXVI.
So foon as Mammon there arriv'd, the door
To him did open and afforded way;
Him follow'd eke Sir Guyon evermore,
Ne darkness him, ne danger might difmay.
Soon as he entred was, the door ftraightway
Did fhut, and from behind it forth there lept
An ugly fiend, more foul than difmal day,
The which with monftrous ftalk behind him ftept,
And ever as he went, due watch upon him kept.
XXVII.
Well hoped he, ere long that hardy guest,
If ever covetous hand, or luftful eye,
Or lips he laid on thing, that likt him beft,
Or ever fleep his eye-ftrings did untye,
Should be his prey. And therefore ftill on high
He over him did hold his cruel claws,
Threatning with greedy gripe to do him die,
And rend in pieces with his ravenous paws,
If ever he tranfgreft the fatal Stygian laws.
That houses-form within was rude and strong,
Like an huge cave, hewn out of rocky clift,
From whose rough vault the ragged breaches hong,
Embost with maffy gold of glorious gift,
And with rich metal loaded every rift,
That heavy ruin they did feem to threat;
And over them Arachne high did lift
Her cunning web, and fpred her subtle net, Enwrapped in foulfmoak and clouds more black than Jet. XXIX.
Both roof, and floor, and walls were all of gold,.
But overgrown with duft and old decay,
And hid in darkness, that none could behold
The hue thereof: for view of chearful day
Did never in that house it felf display,
But a faint fhadow of uncertain light;
Such as a lamp, whofe life does fade away:
Or as the Moon clothed with cloudy night,
Does fhew to him, that walks in fear and fad affright,
XXX.
In all that room was nothing to be seen,
But huge great Iron chefts and coffers ftrong,
All barr'd with double bends, that none could ween
Them to efforce by violence or wrong;
On every fide they placed were along.
But all the ground with fculls was scattered,
And dead men's bones, which round about were flong, Whose lives (it seemed) whilome there were shed, And their vile carcafes now left unburied.
They forward pafs, ne Guyon yet spoke word,
Till that they came unto an iron dore,
Which to them open'd of its own accord,
And fhew'd of riches fuch exceeding store,
As eye of man did never see before;
Ne ever could within one place be found,
Though all the wealth, which is, or was of yore,
Could gather'd be through all the world around,
And that above were added to that under ground.
Book II.
XXXII.
The charge thereof unto a covetous fpright
Commanded was, who thereby did attend.
And warily awaited day and night,
From other covetous fiends it to defend,
Who it to rob and ranfack did intend.
Then Mammon, turning to that warriour, faid;
Lo, here the worldës blifs: lo, here the end,
To which all men do aim, rich to be made:
Such grace now to be happy, is before thee laid.
XXXIII.
Certes, faid he, I n'ill thine offred grace,
Ne to be made fo happy do intend:
Another blifs before mine eyes I place,
Another happinefs, another end.
To them that lift, thefe bafe regards I lend:
But I in arms, and in atchievements brave,
Do rather choofe my flitting hours to spend,
And to be Lord of those that riches have,
Than them to have myself, and be their fervile flave.
XXXIV.
Thereat the fiend his gnafhing teeth did grate,
And griev'd fo long to lack his greedy prey:
For well he weened, that fo glorious bait
Would tempt his gueft, to take thereof affay:
Had he fo doen, he had him fnatcht away,
More light than Culver in the Faulcons fift.
(Eternal God thee fave from fuch decay.)
But whenas Mammon faw his purpose mist,
Him to entrap unwares anothers way he wift.
XXXV.
Thence forward he him led, and fhortly brought
Unto another room, whofe door forthright
To him did open, as it had been taught:
Therein an hundred ranges weren pight,
And hundred furnaces all burning bright;
By every
furnace many fiends did bide,
Deformed creatures, horrible in fight,
And every fiend his bufie pains apply'd,
To melt the golden metal, ready to be try'd..
One with great bellows gather'd filling air,
And with forct wind the fuel did inflame;
Another did the dying bronds repair
With iron tongs, and fprinkled oft the fame
With liquid waves, fierce Vulcan's rage to tame,
Who maistring them renew'd his former heat;
Some fcum'd the drofs that from the metal came;
Some stir'd the molten owre with ladles great;
And every one did fwink, and every one did fweat.
XXXVII.
But whenas earthly wight they present faw,
Gliftring in arms and battailous array,
From their hot work they did themselves withdraw
To wonder at the fight: for till that day,
They never creature faw that came that way.
Their ftaring eyes fparkling with fervent fire,
And ugly fhapes did nigh the man dismay,
That were it not for fhame he would retire,
Till that him thus bespake their Soveraine Lord and Sire.
XXXVIII.
Behold, thou Fairies Son with mortal eye,
That living eye before did never fee:
The thing which thou didst crave fo earnestly
(To weet, whence all the wealth late fhew'd by me
Proceeded) lo, now is reveal'd to thee.
Here is the fountain of the worldës good:
Now therefore, if thou wilt enriched be,
Avife thee well and change thy wilful mood,
Left thou perhaps hereafter wifh, and be withstood.
XXXIX.
Suffice it then, thou Money-god, quoth he,
That all thine idle offers I refufe.
All that I need I have; what needeth me
To covet more than I have cause to use?
With fuch vain fhews thy worldlings vile abufe:
But give me leave to follow mine emprise.
Mammon was much difpleas'd, yet no'te he chufe
But bear the rigour of his bold mesprise,
And thence him forward led, him further to entice,
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