And on his breaft a bloody crofs he bore,
The dear remembrance of his dying Lord,
For whofe fweet fake that glorious badge he wore,
And dead (as living) ever him ador❜d:
Upon his fhield the like was alío fcor'd,
For foveraine hope, which in his help he had:
Right faithful true he was in deed and word;
But of his cheer did feem too folemn fad:
Yet nothing did he dread, but ever was ydrad.
III.
Upon a great adventure he was bond,
That greateft Gloriana to him gave,
That greatest glorious Queen of Fairy lond,
To win him worship, and her grace to have,
Which of all earthly things he most did crave;
And ever as he rode, his heart did earn
To prove his puiffance in battle brave
Upon his foe, and his new force to learn;
Upon his foe, a Dragon horrible and ftearn.
IV.
A lovely Lady rode him fair befide,
Upon a lowly Affe more white than fnow;
Yet the much whiter, but the fame did hide
Under a veil, that wimpled was full low,
And over all a black ftole fhe did throw,
As one that inly mourn'd: fo was fhe fad,
And heavy fat upon her palfrey flow;
Seemed in heart fome hidden care fhe had,
And by her in a line a milk white Lamb the lad.
V.
So pure and innocent, as that fame Lamb.
She was in life and ev'ry vertuous lore,
And from defcent from royal lynage came
Of ancient Kings and Queens, that had of yore
Their fcepters ftretcht from east to western shore,
And all the world in their fubjection held;
Till that infernal fiend with foul up-rore
Forwafted all their land, and them expel'd: [pel'd.
Whom to avenge, fhe had this Knight from far com-
Behind her far away a Dwarf did lag,
That lazy feem'd in being ever last,
Or wearied with bearing of her bag
Of needments at his back. Thus as they paft,
The day with clouds was fuddain overcaft,
And angry Jove an hideous ftorm of rain,
Did pour into his Lemans lap so fast,
That every wight to fhroud it did constrain,
And this fair couple eke to shroud themfelves were fain.
VII.
Enforct to feek fome covert nigh at hand,
A fhady grove not far away they fpide,
That promift aid the tempeft to withstand:
Whofe lofty trees, yclad with fummers pride,
Did fpread fo broad, that heavens light did hide,
Not pierceable with powre of any star:
And all within were paths and alleys wide,
With footing worne, and leading inward far:
Fair harbour, that them feems; fo in they entred are.
VIII.
And forth they pass, with pleasure forward led,
Joying to hear the birds fweet harmony.
Which therein fhrouded from the tempefts dred,
Seem'd in their fong to fcorn the cruel fky.
Much 'gan they praife the trees fo ftraight and high,
The failing Pine, the Cedar proud and tall,
The vine-prop Elm, the Poplar never dry,
The builder Oak, fole King of forrests all,
The Afpine, good for ftaves, the Cypress funeral.
IX.
The Laurel, meed of mighty conquerours
And poets fage, the Fir that weepeth ftill,
The Willow, worne of forlorne paramours,
The Eugh, obedient to the benders will,
The Birch for fhafts, the Sallow for the mill,
The Myrrhe, fweet bleeding in the bitter wound,
The warlike Beech, the Afh for nothing ill,
The fruitful Olive, and the Platane round,
The carver Holme, the Maple feldom inward found.
Led with delight, they thus beguile the way,
Until the bluftring ftorm is over-blown,
When, weening to return whence they did ftray,
They cannot find that path which firft was fhown,
But wander to and fro in ways unknown,
Furtheft from end then, when they nearest ween,
That makes them doubt their wits be not their own:
So many paths, fo many turnings feen,
That which of them to take, in diverse doubt they been.
XI.
At laft, refolving forward ftill to fare,
Till that fome end they find, or in or out,
That path they take, that beaten feem'd most bare, And like to lead the labyrinth about;
Which when by tract they hunted had throughout,
At length it brought them to a hollow cave
Amid the thickeft woods. The champion ftout
Eftfoons difmounted from his courfer brave,
And to the Dwarf a while his needlefs fpear he gave.
XII.
Be well aware, quoth then that Lady mild,
Leaft fuddain mifchief ye too rafh provoke:
The danger hid, the place unknown and wild,
Breeds dreadful doubts: oft fire is without smoke,
And peril without fhow: therefore your stroke,
Sir Knight with-hold, till further trial made.
Ah Lady (faid he) fhame were to revoke
The forward footing for an hidden shade:
Vertue gives herself light, through darkness for to wade.
XIII.
Yea, but (quoth fhe) the peril of this place
I better wot than you: though now too late
To wish you back return with foul difgrace;
Yet wisdom warns, whilft foot is in the gate,
To stay the step, ere forced to retrate.
This is the wandring wood, this Errours den;
A monster vile, whom God and man does hate:
Therefore, I read beware, fly, fly, (quoth then
The fearful Dwarf:) this is no place for living men.
But full of fire and greedy hardiment,
The youthful Knight could not for ought be staid;
But forth unto the darkfome hole he went,
And looked in: his gliftring armour made
A little glooming light, much like a fhade,
By which he faw the ugly monfter plain,
Half like a ferpent horribly difplaid :
But th' other half did womans fhape retain,
Moft lothfome, filthy, foul, and full of vile disdain.
And, as the lay upon the dirty ground,
Her huge long tail her den all overfpred,
Yet was in knots and many boughtes upwound,
Pointed with mortal fting. Of her there bred
A thousand young ones, which the daily fed,
Sucking upon her pois'nous dugs, each one
Of fundry shapes, yet all ill-favoured:
Soon as that uncouth light upon them fhone,
Into her mouth they crept, and fuddain all were gone.
XVI.
Their dam upftart, out of her den effraid,
And rushed forth, hurling her hideous tail
About her curfed head, whofe folds difplaid
Were ftretcht now forth at length without entrail.
She lookt about, and feeing one in mail
Armed to point, fought back to turn again;
For light the hated as the deadly bale,
Ay wont in defert darknefs to remain,
Where plain none might her fee, nor fhe fee any plain.
XVII.
Which when the valiant Elf perceiv'd, he lept
As Lyon fierce upon the flying prey,
And with his trenchant blade her boldly kept
From turning back, and forced her to stay:
There-with enrag'd fhe loudly 'gan to bray,
And turning fierce, her fpeckled tail advaunft,
Threatning her angry fting, him to difmay :
Who, nought aghaft, his mighty hand enhaunft:
The ftroke down from her head unto her fhoulder glaunft.
Much daunted with that dint, her fenfe was daz'd:
Yet kindling rage, herself the gather'd round,
And all attonce her beaftly body rais'd
With doubled forces high above the ground;
Tho wrapping up her wreathed ftern around,
Lept fierce upon his fhield, and her huge train
All fuddainly about his body wound,
That hand or foot to ftir he ftrove in vain:
God help the man fo wrapt in Errours endless train.
XIX.
His Lady, fad to fee his fore constraint,
Cry'd out, now, now, Sir Knight, fhew what ye be,
Add faith unto your force, and be not faint:.
Strangle her, elfe fhe fure will strangle thee.
That when he heard, in great perplexitie,
His gall did grate for grief and high difdain,
And knitting all his force got one hand free,
Where-with he gript her gorge with fo great pain,
That foon to loofe her wicked bands did her conftrain.
XX.
There-with fhe fpew'd out of her filthy maw
A flood of poifon horrible and black,
Full of great lumps of flesh and gobbets raw,
Which stunk fo vildly, that it forct him flack
His grafping hold, and from her turn him back
Her vomit full of books and papers was,
With loathly frogs and toads, which eyes did lack,
And creeping, fought way in the weedy grafs :
Her filthy parbreake all the place defiled has.
As when old father Nilus 'gins to fwell
With timely pride above th' Egyptian vale,
His fatty-waves do fertile flime outwell,
And over-flow each plain and lowly dale:
But when his later Spring 'gins to avale,
Huge heaps of mud he leaves, wherein there breed
Ten thoufand kinds of creatures, partly male,
And partly female of his fruitful feed
Such ugly monstrous fhapes elsewhere may no man reed.
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