He brought him through a darkfome narrow ftrait,
To a broad gate, all built of beaten gold:
The gate was open, but therein did wait
A fturdy villain, ftriding stiff and bold,
As if the higheft God defie he would;
In his right hand an iron club he held,
But he himself was all of golden mold,
Yet had both life and fenfe, and well could weld
That curfed weapon, when his cruel foes he quell'd.
XLI.
Difdain he called was, and did difdain
To be fo call'd, and whofo did him call :
Stern was his look, and full of stomach vain,
His portance terrible, and ftature tall,
Far paffing th' height of men terrestrial.
Like an huge Gyant of the Titans race;
That made him fcorn all creatures great and fmall,
And with his pride all others powre deface:
More fit amongst black fiends, than men to have his place. XLII.
Soon as thofe glitterand arms he did efpy,
That with their brightnefs made that darkness light, His harmful club he 'gan to hurtle high And threaten battle to the Fairy Knight: Who likewife 'gan himself to battle dight, Till Mammon did his hafty hand with-hold, And counsell'd him abftain from per❜lous fight: For nothing might abash the villain bold, Ne mortal steel empierce his mifcreated mold. XLIII.
So having him with reafon pacify'd,
And the fierce Carle commanding to forbear,
He brought him in. The room was large and wide,
As it fome guild or folemn temple were:
Many great golden pillars did upbear
The maffy roof, and riches huge sustain:
And every pillar decked was full dear
With crowns and diadems, and titles vain,
Which mortal Princes wore, whiles they on earth did reign.
A rout of people there affembled were,
Of every fort and nation under sky,
Which with great uproar preaced to draw near
To th' upper part, where was advanced high
A ftately fiege of foveraine majesty;
And thereon fate a woman gorgeous gay,
And richly clad in robes of royalty,
That never earthly Prince in fuch array
His glory did enhaunce, and pompous pride difplay.
Her face right wondrous fair did feem to be,
That her broad beauties beam great brightness threw Through the dim fhade, that all men might it fee: Yet was not that fame her own native hew, But wrought by art and counterfeited fhew, Thereby more lovers unto her to call; Nath'lefs, moft heavenly fair in deed and view She by creation was, till the did fall; Thenceforth fhe fought for helps to cloak her crime withal. XLVI.
There as in gliftring glory fhe did fit,
She held a great gold chain ylinked well,
Whofe upper end to highest heaven was knit,
And lower part did reach to lowest hell;
And all that preace did round about her swell,
To catchen hold of that long chain, thereby
To climb aloft, and others to excel :
That was Ambition, rash desire to fty,
And every link thereof a step of dignity.
Some thought to raise themselves to high degree,
By riches and unrighteous reward,
Some by close shouldring, fome by flattery;
Others through friends, others for base regard;
And all by wrong ways, for themselves prepar'd.
Those that were up themselves, kept others low,
Those that were low themselves, held others hard,
Ne fuffred them to rife or greater grow,
But every one did ftrive his fellow down to throw.
Which whenas Guyon faw, he 'gan inquire,
What meant that preace about that Ladies throne,
And what she was that did fo high aspire.
Him Mammon answered; that goodly one,
Whom all that folk with fuch contention
Do flock about, my dear, my daughter is;
Honour and dignity from her alone
Derived are, and all this worldës blifs
For which ye men do ftrive, few get, but
And fair Philotimè fhe rightly hight,
The fairest wight that wonneth under sky,
But that this darkfome neather world her light
Doth dim with horrour and deformity,
Worthy of heaven and high felicity,
From whence the Gods have her for envy thruft:
But fith thou haft found favour in mine eye,
Thy Spouse I will her make, if that thou luft,
That she may thee advance for works and merits just.
L.
Gramercy Mammon, faid the gentle Knight,
For fo great grace and offred high estate;
But I, that am frail flesh and earthly wight,
Unworthy match for fuch immortal mate
My felf well wote, and mine unequal fate;
And were I not, yet is my troth yplight
And love avow'd to other Lady late,
That to remove the fame I have no might:
To change love cauflefs, is reproach to warlike Knight.
LI.
Mammon emmoved was with inward wrath;
Yet forcing it to feign, him forth thence led
Through griefly fhadows by a beaten path,
Into a garden goodly garnished
With herbs and fruits, whofe kinds mote not be read:
Not fuch as earth out of her fruitful womb
Throws forth to men, fweet and well favoured,
But direful deadly black both leaf and bloom,
Fit to adorn the dead, and deck the dreary tomb.
There mournful Cypress grew in greatest store,
And trees of bitter Gall, and Heben fad,
Dead fleeping Poppy, and black Hellebore,
Cold Coloquintida, and Tetra mad,
Mortal Samnitis, and Cicuta bad,
Which-with th'unjuft Athenians made to dye
Wife Socrates, who thereof quaffing glad
Pour'd out his life, and laft philofophy
To the fair Critias his dearest Belamy.
LIII.
The garden of Proferpina this hight;
And in the midft thereof a filver feat,
With a thick arbour goodly overdight,
In which the often us'd from open heat
Herself to shroud, and pleasures to entreat.
Next thereunto did grow a goodly tree,
With branches broad diffpred, and body great, Clothed with leaves that none the wood mote fee, And loaden all with fruit as thick as it might be. LIV.
Their fruit were golden apples gliftring bright,
That goodly was their glory to behold,
On earth like never grew, ne living wight
Like ever faw, but they from hence were fold;
For those which Hercules with conqueft bold
Got from great Atlas daughters, hence began,
And planted there, did bring forth fruit of gold;
And thofe with which th' Eubean young man wan
Swift Atalanta, when through craft he her out-ran.
LV.
Here alfo fprong that goodly golden fruit,
With which Acontius got his lover true,
Whom he had long time fought with fruitlefs fuit:
Here eke that famous golden apple grew,
The which amongit the gods falfe Atè threw;
For which th' Idean Ladies difagreed,
Tili partial Paris dempt it Venus due,
And had of her fair Helen for his meed,
That many noble Greeks and Trojans made to bleed,
LVI.
The warlike Elf much wondred at this tree,
So fair and great, that shadow'd all the ground;
And his broad branches laden with rich fee,
Did ftretch themselves without the utmost bound
Of this great garden, compaft with a mound,
Which over-hanging, they themselves did steep,
In a black flood which flow'd about it round;
That is the river of Cocytus deep,
In which full many fouls do endless wail and weep.
LVII.
Which to behold, he clomb up to the bank,
And looking down, faw many damned wights,
In those fad waves; which direful deadly stank,
Plonged continually of cruel sprights,
That with their pitious cryes, and yelling fhrights,
They made the further shore refounden wide:
Emongst the rest of those fame rueful fights,
One curfed creature he by chance efpide,
That drenched lay full deep, under the garden fide.
LVIII.
Deep was he drenched to the upmost chin,
Yet gaped ftill, as coveting to drink
Of the cold liquor, which he waded in;
And stretching forth his hand, did often think
To reach the fruit which grew upon the brink :
But both the fruit from hand, and flood from mouth
Did fly aback, and made him vainly swink:
The whiles he starv'd with hunger and with drouth:
He daily dy'd, yet never throughly dyen couth.
LIX.
The Knight, him feeing labour fo in vain,
Askt who he was, and what he meant thereby :
Who groaning deep, thus anfwer'd him again;
Moft curfed of all creatures under sky,
Lo Tantalus, I here tormented lye:
Of whom high Jove wont whylome feasted be,
Lo here I now for want of food do dye.
But if that thou be fuch, as I thee fee,
Cf grace I pray thee, give to eat and drink to me.
|