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XVI.

The noble Virgin, Lady of the place,

Was much difmayed with that dreadful fight
(For never was fhe in fo evil cafe)

Till that the Prince feeing her woeful plight,
Gan her recomfort from fo fad affright,
Offring his fervice, and his dearest life

For her defence, against that Carle to fight,
Which was their chief and th'author of that ftrife:
She him remercied as the patron of her life.

XVII.

Eftfoons himself in glitterand arms he dight,
And his well proved weapons to him hent;
So taking courteous congé he behight
Thofe gates to be unbar'd, and forth he went,
Fair mote he thee, the proweft and most gent,
That ever brandifhed bright steel on high:
Whom foon as that unruly rabblement,
With his gay Squire iffuing did efpy,

They rear'd a moft outrageous dreadful yelling cry.
XVIII.

And therewith all attonce at him let fly

Their fluttring arrows, thick as flakes of snow,
And round about him flock impetuously,
Like a great water flood, that tumbling low
From the high mountains, threats to overflow
With fuddain fury all the fertile plain,

And the fad husbandmans long hope doth throw Adown the ftream, and all his vows make vain, Nor bounds nor banks his headlong ruin may fuftain. XIX.

Upon his fhield their heaped hail he bore,

And with his fword difperft the rascal flocks,
Which fled afunder, and him fell before,
As wither'd leaves drop from their dryed flocks,
When the wrath western wind does reave their locks;
And underneath him his courageous feed,

The fierce Spumader trode them down like docks,
The fierce Spumador, born of heavenly feed-:

Such as Laomedon of Phabus race did breed.

XX.

Which fuddain horrour and confused cry,
Whenas their captain heard, in hafte he yode
The cause to weet, and fault to remedy;
Upon a Tigre fwift and fierce he rode,
That as the wind ran underneath his lode,
Whiles his long legs nigh raught unto the ground;
Full large he was of limb, and fhoulders brode,
But of fuch fubtile substance and unfound,

That like a ghoft he feem'd, whofe grave-cloths were un-
XXI.

[bound.

And in his hand a bended bow was feen,
And many arrows under his right fide,
All deadly dangerous, all cruel keen,
Headed with flint, and feathers bloody dy'd,
Such as the Indians in their quivers hide;
Thofe could he well direct and ftrait as line,
And bid them ftrike the mark, which he had ey'd s
Ne was there falve, ne was there medicine,
That mote recure their wounds; fo inly they did tine.
XXII.

As pale and wan as afhes was his look,
His body lean and meagre as a rake,
And skin all wither'd like a dryed rook,
Thereto as cold and drery as a Snake,
That feem'd to tremble evermore and quake:
All in a canvas thin he was bedight,

And girded with a belt of twisted brake,

Upon his head he wore an helmet light

Made of a dead mans fcull, that feem'd a ghaflly fight..

XXIII.

Maleger was his name, and after him

There follow'd faft at hand two wicked Hags, With hoary locks all loofe, and vifage grim; Their feet unfhod, their bodies wrapt in rags, And both as fwift on foot, as chafed Stags And yet the one her other leg had lame, Which with a staff, all full of little fnags She did difport, and Impotence her name : But th'other was Impatience, arm'd with raging flame,

XXIV.

Soon as the Carle from far the Prince espide,
Gliftring in arms, and warlike ornament,
His beaft he felly prickt on either fide,
And his mischievous bow full ready bent,
With which at him a cruel fhaft he fent :
But he was wary, and it warded well
Upon his fhield, that it no further went,
But to the ground the idle quarrel fell:
Then he another and another did expell.
XXV.

Which to prevent, the Prince his mortal spear
Soon to him raught, and fierce at him did ride,
To be avenged of that shot whylear:
But he was not fo hardy to abide

That bitter ftownd, but turning quick afide
His light-foot beaft fled fast away for fear:
Whom to purfue, the infant after hy'd,
So faft as his good courfer could him bear,
But labour loft it was, to ween approch him near.
XXVI.

For as the winged wind his Tigre fled,

That view of eye could scarce him overtake, Ne fcarce his feet on ground were feen to tred; Through hills and dales he speedy way did make, Ne hedge ne ditch his ready paffage brake, And in his flight the villain turn'd his face (As wonts the Tartar by the Caspian lake, Whenas the Ruffian him in fight does chace) Unto his Tygers tail, and fhot at him apace. XXVII.

Apace he fhot, and yet he fled apace,

Still as the greedy Knight nigh to him drew,
And oftentimes he would relent his pace,
That him his foe more fiercely should pursue:
Who when his uncouth manner he did view
He 'gan avize to follow him no more,
But keep his ftanding,, and his shafts eschew,
Until he quite had spent his perlous store,

And then affail him fresh, ere he could fhift for more.

XXVIII.

But that lame Hag, ftill as abroad he ftrew
His wicked arrows, gathred them again,
And to him brought, fresh battle to renew:
Which he efpying, caft her to reftrain
From yielding fuccour to that cursed swain,
And her attaching, thought her hands to tye;
But foon as him difmounted on the plain,
That other Hag did far away efpy
Binding her fifter, fhe to him ran haftily.
XXIX.

And catching hold of him, as down he lent,
Him backward overthrew, and down him ftayd
With their rude hands, and griefly grapplement,
Till that the villain coming to their ayd,
Upon him fell, and load upon him layd,
Full little wanted, but he had him flain,
And of the battle baleful end had made,
Had not his gentle Squire beheld his pain,
And comen to his refcue, ere his bitter bane.
XXX.

So greatest and moft glorious thing on ground
May often need the help of weaker hand;
So feeble is man's ftate, and life unfound,
That in affurance it may never ftand,
Till it diffolved be from earthly band.
Proof be thou Prince, the prowest man alive,
And nobleft born of all in Briton land;"

f Yet thee fierce fortune did fo nearly drive, That had not grace thee bleft, thou shouldest not furvive, XXXI.

The Squire arriving, fiercely in his arms

Snatcht first the one, and then the other jade,
His chiefeft lets and authors of his harms,
And them perforce withheld with threatned blade,
Left that his Lord they fhould behind invade;
The whiles the Prince prickt with reproachful fhame,
As one awakt out of long flumbring fhade,
Reviving thought of glory and of fame,

United all his powres to purge himself from blame.

XXXII.

Like as a fire, the which in hollow cave

Hath long been under kept, and down fuppreft,
With murmurous difdain doth inly rave,
And grudge, in fo ftreight prifon to be preft,
At laft breaks forth with furious unreft,
And strives to mount unto his native feat;
All that did earft it hinder and moleft,

It now devours with flames and fcorching heat, And carries into fmoak with rage and horrour great, XXXIII.

So mightily the Briton Prince him rous'd

Out of his hold, and broke his caitive bands,
And as a Bear whom angry curs have touz'd,
Having off-fhakt them, and efcapt their hands,
Becomes more fell, and all that him withstands
Treads down and overthrows. Now had the Carle
Alighted from his Tigre, and his hands
Discharged of his bow and deadly quar'le,
To feize upon his foe flat lying on the marle.
XXXIV.

Which now him turn'd to disadvantage drear
For neither can he fly, nor other harm,
But truft unto his ftrength and manhood mear,
Sith now he is far from his monftrous fwarm,
And of his weapons did himself difarm.
The Knight yet wrathful for his late disgrace,
Fiercely advanft his valorous right arm,
And him fo fore fmote with his iron mace,
That groveling to the ground he fell, and fill'd his place,
XXXV.

Well weened he that field was then his own,
And all his labour brought to happy end,
When fuddain up the villain overthrown,
Out of his fwoun arofe, freth to contend,
And 'gan himself to fecond battle bend,
As hurt he had not been. Thereby there lay
An huge great ftqne, which ftood upon one end,
And had not been removed many a day,

Some land-mark feem'd to be, or fign of fundry way.

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