Fool faid the Pagan, I thy gift defie:
But ufe thy fortune, as it doth befall,
And fay, that I not overcome do die,
But in defpight of life, for death do call.
Wroth was the Prince, and forry yet withall
That he fo wilfully refused grace;
Yet fith his fate fo cruelly did fall,
His fhining helmet he 'gan foon unlace,
And left his headlefs body bleeding all the place.
.LIII.
By this, Sir Guyon from his traunce awakt,
Life having maistered her fenfeless foc;
And looking up, whenas his fhield he lackt,
And fword faw not, he wexed wondrous woe :
But when the Palmer, whom he long ygoe
Had loft, he by him fpide, right glad he grew,
And faid, Dear Sir, whom wandring to and fro
I long have lackt, I joy thy face to view;
Firm is thy faith, whom danger never from me drew.
LIV.
But read what wicked hand hath robbed me
Of my good fword and fhield. The Palmer glad, With fo fresh hue uprifing him to fee,
Him answered; Fair Son, be no whit fad
For want of weapons: they fhall foon be had,
So 'gan he to difcourse the whole debate,
Which that strange Knight for him sustained had,
And thofe two Sarazins confounded late,
Whose carcaffes on ground were horribly proftrate.
LV.
Which when he heard, and faw the tokens true,
His heart with great affection was embay'd,
And to the Prince bowing with reverence due,
As to the patron of his life, thus faid;
My Lord, my liege, by whofe most gracious aid
I live this day, and fee my foes fubdew'd,
What may fuffice, to be for meed repay'd
Of fo great graces, as ye have me fhew'd,
But to be ever bound-
To whom the Infant thus; Fair Sir, what need
Good turns be counted as a fervile bond,
To bind their doers to receive their meed?
Are not all Knights by oath bound to withftond
Oppreffors powre by arms and puiffant hond?
Suffice, that I have done my due in place.
So goodly purpose they together fond,
Of kindness and of courteous aggrace;
The whiles falfe Archimage and Atin fled apace.
The boufe of Temperance, in which
Doth Jaber Alma dwell,
Befieg'd of many foes, whom ftrang-
er knights to flight compell.
Fall Gods works, which do this world adorn,
There is no one more fair and excellent,
Than is mans body both for powre and form,
Whiles it is kept in fober government;
But none than it more foul and indecent,
Distempred through mifrule and paffions base:
It grows a monfter, and incontinent
Doth lofe his dignity and native grace.
Behold (who lift) both one and other in this place.
After the Paynim brethren conquer'd were,
The Briton Prince recov'ring his ftoln fword,
And Guyon his loft fhield, they both yfere
Forth paffed on their way in fair accord,
Till him the Prince with gentle court did bord;
Sir Knight, mote I of you this court'fie read,
To weet why on your fhield (fo goodly scord)
Bear ye the picture of that Ladies head?
Full lively is the femblaunt, though the fubftance dead.
III.
Fair Sir, faid he, if in that picture dead
Such life ye read, and vertue in vain fhew,
What mote ye ween, if the true lively-head
Of that moft glorious vifage ye did view?
But if the beauty of her mind ye knew,
That is her bounty, and imperial powre,
Thousand times fairer than her mortal hew,
O how great wonder would your thoughts devoure,
And infinite defire into your fpirit poure.
She is the mighty Queen of Faery,
Whofe fair retrait I in my fhield do bear;
She is the flowre of grace and chastity,
Throughout the world renowned far and near,
My liefe, my liege, my foveraine, my dear,
Whofe glory shineth as the morning star,
And with her light the earth enlumines clear;
Far reach her mercies, and her praises far,
As well in state of peace, as puiffaunce in war.
Thrice happy man, faid then the Briton Knight,
Whom gracious lot, and thy great valiaunce
Have made thee fouldier of that Princess bright,
Which with her bounty and glad countenaunce
Doth bless her fervants, and them high advaunce.
How may ftrange Knight hope ever to aspire,
By faithful fervice, and meet amenaunce
Unto fuch blifs? fufficient were that hire
For lofs of thousand lives do dye at her defire.
VI.
Said Guyon, noble Lord, what meed fo great,
Or
grace of earthly Prince fo foveraine,
But by your wondrous worth and warlike feat
Ye well may hope, and easily attain ?
But were your will, her fold to entertain,
And numbred be mongst Knights of Maydenbead,
Great guerdon (well I wote) fhould you remain,
And in her favour high be reckoned,
As Arthegall, and Sophy now been honoured.
Certes, then faid the Prince, I God avow,
That fince I arms and Knighthood first did plight,
My whole defire hath been, and yet is now,
To ferve that Queen with all my powre and might.
Now hath the fun with his lamp-burning light,
Walkt round about the world, and I no lefs,
Since of that Goddess I have fought the fight,
Yet no where can her find: fuch happiness
Heaven doth to me envy, and fortune favourlefs.
VIII.
Fortune (the foe of famous chevifaunce)
Seldom (faid Guyon) yields to vertue aid,
But in her way throws mischief and mischaunce,
Whereby her courfe is ftopt, and paffage ftaid.
But you, fair Sir, be not herewith difmay'd,
But conftant keep the way in which ye ftand;
Which were it not, that I am elfe delayd
With hard adventure, which I have in hand,
I labour would to guide you through all Fairy land.
IX.
Gramercy Sir, faid he; but mote I weete
What strange adventure do ye now pursue ?
Perhaps my fuccour, or advizement meet,
Mote ftead you much your purpose to fubdue.
Then 'gan Sir Guyon all the ftory fhew
Of falfe Acrafia, and her wicked wiles,
Which to avenge, the Palmer him forth drew
From Fairy Court. So talked they, the whiles
They waited had much way, and meafur'd many miles.
X.
And now fair Phabus 'gan decline in hafte
His weary wagon to the western vale,
Whenas they spide a goodly caftle, plact
Foreby a river in a pleasant dale;
Which choosing for that evenings hofpitale,
They thither marcht; but when they came in fight, And from their sweaty courfers did avale,
They found the gates faft barred long ere night, And every loup faft lockt, as fearing foes defpight.
Which when they faw, they weened foul reproch
Was to them doen, their entrance to forstall,
Till that the Squire 'gan nigher to approch;
And wind his horn under the castle wall,
That with the noise it shook as it would fall:
Eftfoons forth looked from the highest spire
The watch, and loud unto the Knights did call,
To weet what they fo rudely did require;
Who gently anfwered, they entrance did defire.
XII.
Fly, fly, good Knights, said he, fly faft away,
If that your lives ye love, as meet you should;
Fly faft, and fave yourselves from near decay,
Here may ye not have entrance, though we would:
We would and would again, if that we could;
But thousand enemies about us rave,
And with long fiege us in this caftle hold:
Seven years this wife they us befieged have,
And many good Knights flain, that have us fought to fave.
XIII.
Thus as he spoke, lo, with outrageous cry
A thoufand villains round about them fwarm'd
Out of the rocks and caves adjoyning nigh,
Vile caitive wretches, ragged, rude, deform'd,
All threatning death, all in ftrange manner arm'd,
Some with unwieldy clubs, fome with long fpears,
Some rufty knives, fome ftaves in fier warm'd.
Stern was their look, like wild amazed stears,
Staring with hollow eyes, and stiff upstanding hairs.
XIV.
Fiercely at first those Knights they did affail,
And drove them to recoil: but when again
They gave fresh charge their forces 'gan to fail,
Unable their encounter to fuftain;
For with fuch puiffance and impetuous main
Thofe champions broke on them, that forct them fly,
Like fcattred sheep, whenas the fhepherds fwain
A Lyon and a Tygre doth efpy,
With greedy pace forth rufhing from the foreft nigh
|