Fear nought, then faid the Palmer well avis'd;
For these fame monfters are not these indeed,
But are into these fearful fhapes difguis'd
By that fame wicked Witch, to work us dreed,
And draw from on this journey to proceed.
Tho lifting up his vertuous staff on high
He fmote the fea, which calmed was with fpeed,
And all that dreadful army faft 'gan fly
Into great Tethys bofom, where they hidden lie.
XXVII.
Quit from that danger, forth their course they kept t
And as they went they heard a rueful cry
Of one that wail'd and pitifully wept,
That through the fea refounding plaints did fly:
At laft they in an ifland did efpy
A feemly Maiden fitting by the shore,
That with great forrow, and fad agony,
Seemed fome great misfortune to deplore,
And loud to them for fuccour called evermore.
XXVIII.
Which Guyon hearing, ftraight his Palmer bade
To steer the boat toward that doleful Maid,
That he might know, and ease her forrow fad:
Who him avifing better, to him said;
Fair Sir, be not difpleas'd, if disobey'd:
For ill it were to hearken to her cry;
For she is inly nothing ill appay'd,
But only womanish fine forgery,
Your stubborn heart t'affect with frail infirmity.
XXIX.
To which when the your courage hath inclin'd
Through foolish pity, then her guileful bait,
She will embofom deeper in your mind,
And for your ruin at the laft await.
The Knight was ruled, and the Boatman ftrait
Held on his course with stayed ftedfastness,
Ne never fhrunk, ne never fought to bait
His tired arms for toilfome wearinefs,
But with his oars did sweep the watry wilderness.
VOL. I.
And now they nigh approached to the sted,
Whereas thofe mermaids dwelt: it was a ftill
And calmy bay, on th'one fide sheltered
With the broad fhadow of an hoary hill,
On th❜other fide an high rock towred ftill,
That 'twixt them both a pleasant port they made,
And did like an half theatre fulfil:
There those five fifters had continual trade,
And us'd to bathe themselves in that deceitful fhade.
XXXI.
They were fair Ladies till they fondly striv'd
With th'Heliconian maids for maistery;
Of whom they overcomen, were depriv'd
Of their proud beauty, and th'one moiety
Transform'd to fish, for their bold furquedry:
But th'upper half their hue retained still,
And their sweet skill in wonted melody;
Which ever after they abus'd to ill,
T'allure weak travellers, whom gotten they did kill.
XXXII.
So now to Guyon, as he paffed by,
Their pleasant tunes they fweetly thus apply'd;
O thou fair Son of gentle Faëry,
That art in mighty arms moft magnify'd
Above all Knights that ever battle try'd,
O turn thy rudder hitherward awhile:
Here may thy ftorm-beat veffel fafely ride :
This is the port of reft from troublous toil,
The worlds fweet inn, from pain and wearifome turmoil.
XXXIII.
With that, the rolling fea refounding foft,
In his big base them fitly anfwered,
And on the rock the waves breaking aloft,
A folemn mean unto them meafured,
The whiles sweet Zephyrus loud whifteled
His treble, a strange kind of harmony;
Which Guyons fenfes foftly tickeled,
And he the boatman bade row easily,
And let him hear fome part of their rare melodyi
But him the Palmer from that vanity,
With temperate advice discounselled,
That they it paft, and fhortly 'gan defcry,
The land, to which their courfe they levelled
When fuddainly a grofs fog overfpred
With his dull vapour all that defert has,
And heavens chearfull face enveloped,
That all things one, and one as nothing was,
And this great univerfe feem'd one confufed mafs.
XXXV.
Thereat they greatly were difmay'd, ne wift
How to direct their way in darknefs wide,
But fear'd to wander in that wafteful mift,
For tumbling into mifchief unefpy'd.
Worse is the danger hidden, than descry'd.
Suddainly an innumerable flight
Of harmful fowls, about them flutt'ring, cry'd, And with their wicked wings them oft did fmight, And fore annoyed, groping in that griefly night. XXXVI.
Even all the nation of unfortunate
And fatal birds about them flocked were,"
Such as by nature men abhor and hate,
The ill-fac'd Owl, deaths dreadful meffenger,
The hoarfe Night-Raven, trump of doleful drere,
The leather-winged Bat, days enemy,
The rueful Strich, ftill waiting on the bier,
The Whiftler fhrill, that whofo hears, doth dye.
The hellish Harpies, prophets of fad destiny.
All thofe, and all that elfe does horrour breed,
About them flew, and fill'd their fails with fear':
Yet ftaid they not, but forward did proceed,
Whiles th'one did row, and th'other ftifly stear
Till that at last the weather 'gan to clear,
And the fair land it felf did plainly show,
Said then the Palmer, Lo where does appear
The facred foil, where all our perils grow;
Therefore, Sir Knight, your ready arms about you throw
He hearkned, and his arms about him took,
The whiles the nimble boat fo well her fped,
That with her crooked keel the land fhe ftrook,
Then forth the noble Guyon fallied,
And his fage Palmer that him governed;
But th'other by his boat behind did stay.
They marched fairly forth, of nought ydred,
Both firmly arm'd for every hard affay,
With conftancy and care, 'gainft danger and difmay.
XXXIX.
Ere long they heard an hideous bellowing
Of many beafts, that roar'd outrageously,
As if that hungers point, or Venus fting
Had them enraged with fell furquedry;
Yet nought they fear'd, but paft on hardily,
Until they came in view of those wild beafts:
Who all atonce gaping full greedily,
And rearing fiercely their upftaring crefts,
Ran towards to devour thofe unexpected guests.
XL.
But foon as they approacht with deadly threat-
The Palmer over them his staff upheld,
His mighty ftaff, that could all charms defeat:
Eftfoons their stubborn courages were quell'd,
And high advanced crefts down meekly fell'd:
Inftead of fraying, they themselves did fear,
And trembled, as them paffing they beheld:
Such wondrous powre did in that staff appear,
All monsters to fubdue to him that did it bear.
XLI.
Of that fame wood it fram'd was cunningly
Of which Caduceus whylome was made;
Caduceus the rod of Mercury,.
With which he wonts the Stygian realms invade,
Through ghaftly horrour, and eternal fhade;
Th'infernal fiends with it he can affuage,
And Orcus tame, whom nothing can perfuade, And rule the Furies, when they most do rage: Such. vertue in his ftaff had eke this Palmer fage.
Thence paffing forth, they fhortly do arrive
Whereas the Bowre of Blifs was fituate;
A place pickt out by choice of best alive,
That natures work by art can imitate :
In which whatever in this worldly state
Is sweet and pleafing unto living fenfe,
Or that may dainteft fantafie aggrate,
Was poured forth with plentiful difpence,
And made there to abound with lavish affluence.
XLIII.
Goodly it was enclofed round about,
As well their entred guests to keep within,
As those unruly beafts to hold without;
Yet was the fence thereof but weak and thin:
Nought fear'd they force, that fortilage to win,
But wifdoms powre, and temperances might,
By which the mightiest things efforced bin :
And eke the gate was wrought of fubftance light,
Rather for pleafure, than for battery or fight.
XLIV.
It framed was of precious Ivory,
That feem'd a work of admirable wit
And therein all the famous hiftory
Of Jason and Medea was ywrit;
Her mighty charms, her furious loving fit,
His goodly conqueft of the golden fleece,
His falfed faith, and love too lightly flit,
The wondred Argo, which in vent'rous piece
First through the Euxine feas bore all the flowre of Greece.
XLV.
Ye might have seen the frothy billows fry
Under the ship as thorough them fhe went,
That feem'd the waves were into Ivory,
Or Ivory into the waves were fent ;
And otherwhere the snowy substance sprent,
With vermeil like the boys blood therein fhed,
A piteous fpectacle did reprefent:
And otherwhiles with gold befprinkeled,
It seem'd th'enchaunted flame, which did Creufa wed.
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