VI.

They paffing by, that griefly mouth did fee,
Sucking the feas into his entrails deep,
That feem'd more horrible than hell to be,
Or that dark dreadful hole of Tartare steep,
Through which the damned ghofts doen often creep
Back to the world, bad livers to torment:
But nought that falls into this direful deep,
Ne that approacheth nigh the wide defcent,
May back return, but is condemned to be drent.
VII.

On th'other fide, they faw that per❜lous rocké,
Threatning it felf on them to ruinate,

On whose sharp clifts the ribs of vessels broke,
And shiver'd fhips which had been wrecked late,
Yet ftuck with carcaffes exanimate

Of fuch, as having all their fubftance spent
In wanton joys, and lufts intemperate,
Did afterwards make fhipwreck violent
Both of their life and fame for ever fouly blent.
VIII.

Forthy this hight The Rock of vile Reproach,
A dangerous and deteftable place,

To which nor fish nor fowl did once approach,
But yelling Meaws, with Seagulls hoarfe and bafe,
And Cormoyrants, with birds of ravenous race,
Which still fate waiting on that wafteful clift,
For fpoil of wretches, whofe unhappy case,
After loft credit and confumed thrift,

At laft them driving hath to this despairful drift.
IX.

The Palmer, feeing them in fafety paft,

Thus faid; Behold th'enfamples in our fights
Of luftful luxury and thriftlefs waste :
What now is left of miferable wights,
Which spent their loofers days in lew'd delights,
But fhame and fad reproach, here to be read,
By these rent reliques, fpeaking their ill plights?
Let all that live, hereby be counselled,

To fhun Rock of Reproach, and it as death to dread.

X.

So forth they rowed: and that Ferryman
With his stiff oars did brush the sea so strong,
That the hoare waters from his frigot ran,
And the light bubbles danced all along,
Whiles the falt brine out of the billows fprong,
At laft far off they many iflands spy,

On every fide floating the floods emong:
Then faid the Knight, Lo, I the land defcry;
Therefore old Sire, thy course do thereunto apply.
XI.

That may not be, faid then the Ferryman.
Left we unweeting hap to be fordone :

For those fame iflands, feeming now and then,
Are not firm land, nor any certain wonne,
But straggling plots; which to and fro do rone
In the wide waters: therefore are they hight
The Wandring Islands. Therefore do them fhone;
For they have oft drawn many a wandring wight
Into moft deadly danger and diftreffed plight.

XII.

Yet well they seem to him, that far doth view,
Both fair and fruitful, and the ground diffpred
With graffy green of delectable hue,

And the tall trees with leaves apparelled,
Are deckt with bloffoms dy'd in white and red,
That mote the paffengers thereto allure;
But whofoever once hath faftened

His foot thereon, may never it recure
But wandreth evermore uncertain and unfure.
XIII.

As th'Ifle of Delos, whylome men report
Amid th' Ægean fea long time did ftray,
Ne made for shipping any certain port,
Till that Latona travelling that way,
Flying from Junos wrath and hard affay,
Of her fair twins was there delivered,

Which afterwards did rule the night and day. A
Thenceforth it firmly was established,

And for Appolles honour highly herried.

XIV.

They to him hearken, as befeemeth meet,
And pass on forward: fo their way does ly,
That one of those fame iflands which do fleet
In the wide fea, they needs muft paffen by,
Which feem'd fo fweet and pleasant to the eye,
That it would tempt a man to touchen there
Upon the bank they fitting did efpy
A dainty Damzel dreffing of her hair,
By whom a little skippet floating did
XV..

appear.

She them efpying, loud to them 'gan call,
Bidding them nigher draw unto the fhore;
For fhe had cause to bufie them withall;
And therewith loudly laught; But nathemore
Would they once turn, but kept on as afore.
Which when the faw, the left her locks undight,
And running to her boat withouten oare,
From the departing land it launched light,
And after them did drive with all her powre and might.
XVI.

Whom overtaking, the in merry fort

Them 'gan to board, and purpofe diverfly, Now feigning dalliance and wanton fport, Now throwing forth lewd words immodeftly; Till that the Palmer 'gan full bitterly Her to rebuke, for being loofe and light: Which not abiding, but more fcornfully Scoffing at him, that did her justly wite, She turn'd her boat about, and from them rowed quite XVII.

That was the wanton Phedria, which late

Did ferry him over the Idle Lake:

Whom nought regarding, they kept on their gate,
And all her vain allurements did forfake,

When them the wary boatman thus befpake;

Here now behoveth us well to avife,

And of our fafety good heed to take;

For here before a per lous paffage lies,

Where many Mermaids haunt, making falfe melodies.

XVIII.

But by the way there is a great quickfand,
And a whirlepool of hidden jeopardy :
Therefore, Sir Palmer, keep an even hand;
For 'twixt them both the narrow way doth lye.
Scarce had he said, when hard at hand they fpy
That quickfand nigh with water covered;
But by the checked wave they did defery
It plain, and by the fea difcoloured:
It called was the quickfand of Unthriftybed.
XIX.

They paffing by, a goodly fhip did fee,
Laden from far with precious merchandize,
And bravely furnished, as fhip might be,
Which through great difaventure, or misprize,
Her felf had run into that hazardize;

Whose mariners and merchants with much toil,
Labour'd in vain to have recour'd their prize,
And the rich wares to fave from piteous fpoil:
But neither toyl nor travel might her back recoil.
XX.

On th❜other fide they fee that per❜lous pool,
That called was the Whirlpool of Decay,
In which full many had with hapless dool
Been funk, of whom no memory did stay:
Whofe circled waters wrapt with whirling fway,
Like to a restless wheel, ftill runing round,
Did covet, as they paffed by that way,

To draw their boat within the utmoft bound
Of his wide Labyrinth, and then to have them drown'd.
XXI.

But th'heedful boatman ftrongly forth did ftretch
His brawny arms and all his body strain,
That th'utmoft fandy breach, they shortly fetch,
Whiles the dread danger does behind remain,
Suddain they fee, from midft of all the main,
The furging waters like a mountain rife, pow
And the great fea puft up with proud difdain,
To fwell above the meature of his guife,
As threatning to devour all that his powre defpife;

)

XXII.

The waves come rolling, and the billows roar
Outrageously, as they enraged were;
Or wrathful Neptune did them drive before
His whirling charet, for exceeding fear:
For not one puff of wind there did appear,
That all the three thereat wax much afraid,
Unweeting what fuch horrour strange did rear.
Eftfoons they faw an hideous host array'd
Of huge fea-monsters, fuch as living sense dismayd.
XXIII.

Moft ugly shapes, and horrible afpects,
Such as Dame Nature felf mote fear to fee,
Or fhame, that ever should fo foul defects
From her most cunning hand escaped be;
All dreadful pourtraicts of deformity:
Spring-headed Hydras, and Sea-fhouldring Whales,
Great whirl-pools, which all fishes make to flee,
Bright Scolopendras, arm'd with silver scales,
Mighty Monoceroffes, with immeafur'd tayls.
XXIV.

The dreadful fish that hath deferv'd the name
Of death, and like him looks in dreadful hue,
The griefly Wafferman, that makes his game
The flying fhips with fwiftness to pursue,
The horrible Sea-Satyr that doth shew
His fearful face in time of greatest storm,
Huge Ziffius, whom mariners eschew
No less than rocks (as travellers inform)
And greedy Rofmarines with vifages deform.
XXV.

All these, and thousand thousands many more,
And more deformed monfters thoufand fold,
With dreadful noife, and hollow rumbling rore,
Came rushing in the foamy waves enrold,
Which feem'd to fly for fear them to behold:
Ne wonder if thefe did the Knight appal;
For all that here on earth we dreadful hold,
Be but as bugs to fearen babes withal,
Compared to the creatures in the feas entral.