The fame he fnatcht, and with exceeding fway
Threw at his foe, who was right well aware
To fhun the engin of his meant decay;'
It booted not to think that throw to bear,
But ground he gave, and lightly leapt arear:
Eft fierce returning, as a Faulcon fair
That once hath failed of her foufe full near,
Remounts again into the open air,
And unto better fortune doth herfelf
So brave returning, with his brandisht blade
He to the Carle himself again addreft,
And strook at him fo fternly, that he made
An open paffage through his riven breast,
That half the fteel behind his back did reft:
Which drawing back, he looked evermore
When the heart blood fhould gufh out of his cheft,
Or his dead corfe fhould fall upon the flore;
But his dead corfe upon the flore fell nathemore:
XXXVIII.
Ne drop of blood appeared fhed to be,
All were the wound fo wide and wonderous,
That through his carcafs one might plainly fee.
Half in amaze with horror hideous,
And half in rage to be deluded thus,
Again through both the fides he ftrook him quight,
That made his spright to groan full pitious:
Yet nathemore forth fled his groaning (pright;
But freshly as at firft, prepar'd himself to fight.
XXXIX.
Thereat he fmitten was with great affright,
And trembling terror did his heart appall
Ne wist he what to think of that fame fight,
Ne what to say, ne what to do at all:
He doubted, left it were fome magicall
Illufion, that did beguile his fenfe,
Or wandring ghoft, that wanted funeral,
Or airy spirit under falfe pretence,
Or hellish fiend rais'd up through devilish fcience,
XL.
His wonder far exceeded reafons reach,
That he began to doubt his dazled fight,
And oft of error did him self appeach:
Flesh without blood, a perfon without fpright,
Wounds without hurt, a body without might,
That could do harm, yet could not harmed be,
That could not dye, yet feem'd a mortal wight,
That was moft ftrong in moft infirmity,
Like did he never hear, like did he never fee.
XLI.
Awhile he ftood in this aftonishment;
Yet would he not for all his great difmay-
Give over to effect his firft intent,
And th'utmoft means of victory affay,
Or th'utmost iffue of his own decay.
His own good fword Mordure, that never fail'd
At need, till now, he lightly threw away,
And his bright fhield that nought him now avail'd, And with his naked hands him forcibly affail'd.
Twixt his two mighty arms him up he fnatcht,
And crufht his carcafs fo against his breaft,
That the difdainful foul he thence dispatcht,
And th'idle breath all utterly expreft:
Tho when he felt him dead, adown he keft
The lumpish corfe unto the fenfeless ground:
Adown he keft it with fo puiffant wreft,
That back again it did aloft rebound,
And gave againft his mother earth a groanful found;
XLIII.
As when Jove's harness-bearing bird from high
Stoops at a flying Heron with proud difdain,
The stone dead quarry falls fo forcibly,
That it rebounds against the lowly plain,
A fecond fall redoubling back again.
Then thought the Prince all peril fure was paft,
And that he victor only did remain;
No fooner thought, than that the Carle as faft
Gan heap huge ftrokes on him, as ere he down was caft.
Nigh his wits end then wox th'amazed Knight,
And thought his labour loft and travail vain,
Against this life lefs fhadow fo to fight:
Yet life he faw, and felt his mighty main,
That whiles he marveil'd ftill, did ftill him pain:
Forthy he 'gan fome other ways advise,
How to take life from that dead living fwain,
Whom still he marked freshly to arise
From th'earth, and from her womb new spirits to reprise.
He then remembred well, that had been faid,
How th'earth his mother was, and firft him bore;
She eke, so often as his life decay'd,
Did life with ufury to him reftore,
And rais'd him up much stronger than before,
So foon as he unto her womb did fall;
Therefore to ground he would him caft no more,
Ne him commit to grave terreftrial,
But bear him far from hope of fuccour usual.
XLVI.
Tho up he caught him twixt his puiffant hands,
And having fcruz'd out of his carrion corfe
The loathful life, now loos'd from finful bands,
Upon his fhoulders carried him perforce
Above three furlongs, taking his full courfe,
Until he came unto a standing lake;
Him thereinto he threw without remorse,
Ne ftir'd, till hope of life did him forfake;
So end of that Carles days, and his own pains did make.
XLVII.
Which when thofe wicked Hags from far did spy,
Like two mad dogs they ran about the lands :
And th'one of them with dreadful yelling cry,
Throwing away her broken chains and bands,
And having quencht her burning fier-brands,
Headlong her felf did caft into that lake;
But Impotence with her own wilful hands,
One of Malegers curfed darts did take,
So riv'd her trembling heart, and wicked end did make.
Thus now alone he conqueror remains ';
Tho coming to his fquire, that kept his fteed,
Thought to have mounted: but his feeble veins
Him fail'd thereto, and ferved not his need,
Through lofs of blood, which from his wounds did bleed,
That he began to faint, and life decay:
But his good Squire him helping up with speed,
With ftedfaft hand upon his horse did stay,
And led him to the caftle by the beaten way.
XLIX.
Where many grooms and Squires ready were,
To take him from his fteed full tenderly,
And eke the faireft Alma met him there
With balm and wine and coftly spicery,
To comfort him in his infirmity;
Eftfoons fhe caus'd him up to be convey'd,
And of his arms defpoiled eafily,
In fumptuous bed fhe made him to be laid,
And all the while his wounds were dreffing, by him ftaid.
Guyon by Palmers governance,
Paffing through perils great,
Doth overthrow the Bowre of Bliss,
And Acrafie defeat.
Now 'gins that goodly frame of temperance
Fairly to rife, and her adorned head
To prick of highest praife forth to advance,
Formerly grounded, and fast fetteled
On firm foundation of true bountihed;
And this brave Knight, that for this vertue fights,
Now comes to point of that fame per'lous fted,
Where pleasure dwells in fenfual delights,
Mongft thousand dangers, and ten thoufandmagickmights,
Two days now in that fea he failed has,
Ne ever land beheld, ne living wight,
Ne ought fave peril, ftill as he did pass:
Tho when appeared the third Morrow bright
Upon the waves to spread her trembling light,
An hideous roaring far away they heard,
That all their fenfes filled with affright,
And ftraight they faw the raging furges reard
Up to the skies, that them of drowning made affeard.
III.
Said then the Baatman, Palmer steer aright,
And keep an even courfe; for yonder way
We needs must pafs (God do us well acquight)
That is the Gulf of Greediness, they fay,
That deep engorgeth all this worldës prey:
Which having fwallow'd up exceffively,
He foon in vomit up again doth lay,
And belcheth forth his fuperfluity,
That all the feas for fear do feem away to fly.
IV.!
On th'other fide an hideous rock is pight,
Of mighty Magnes ftone, whofe craggy clift
Depending from on high, dreadful to fight,
Over the waves his rugged arms doth lift,
And threatneth down to throw his ragged rift
On whofo cometh nigh; yet nigh it draws
All paffengers that none from it can shift:
For whiles they fly that gulfs devouring jaws,
They on this rock are rent, and funk in helpless waws,
V.:
Forward they pafs, and ftrongly he them rows,
Until they nigh unto that gulf arrive,
Where stream more violent and greedy grows :
Then he with all his puiffance doth strive
To ftrike his oars, and mightily doth drive
The hollow veffel through the threatful wave;
Which gaping wide to fwallow them alive
In th'huge abyfs of his engulfing grave,
Doth roar at them in vain, and with great terrour rave.
|