XVI.

But fhe again him in the fhield did fmite
With fo fierce fury and great puiffance,

That through his threefquare fcuchin piercing quite,
And through his mailed hauberque, by mifchaunce
The wicked steel through his left fide did glaunce;
Him fo transfixed fhe before her bore.
Beyond his croup, the length of all her launce,
Till fadly foufing on the fandy fhore,

He tumbled on an heap, and wallow'd in his

XVII.

gore.

Like as the facred Ox, that careless ftands,'
With gilden horns, and flowry girlonds crown'd,
Proud of his dying honor and dear bands,
Whiles th' altars fume with frankincence around,
All fuddainly with mortal stroke aftown'd,
Doth groveling fall, and with his streaming gore
Diftains the pillours, and the holy ground,
And the fair flowres, that decked him afore;
So fell proud Marinell upon the precious shore.
XVIII.

The martial maid ftaid not him to lament,
But forward rode, and kept her ready way
Along the ftrond: which as fhe over-went,
She faw beftrowed all with rich array
Of pearls and precious ftones of great affay,
And all the gravel mixt with golden owr;
Whereat the wondred much, but would not stay
For gold, or pearls, or precious ftones an houre,
But them defpifed all; for all was in her poure.

XIX.

Whiles thus he lay in deadly stonishment,
Tydings hereof came to his mothers ear,
His mother was the black-browd Cymoent,
The daughter of great Nereus, which did bear
This warlike fon unto an earthly peer,
The famous Dumarin: who on a day
Finding the Nymph afleep in fecret where,
As he by chance did wander that fame way,
Was taken with her love, and by her closely lay.

XX.

There he this Knight of her begot; whom born
She of his father Marinell did name,

And in a rocky cave as wight forlorn,
Long time the foftred up, till he became
A mighty man at arms, and mickle fame
Did get through great adventures by him don:
For never man he fuffred by that fame

Rich ftrond to travel, whereas he did wonne,
But that he must do battle with the Sea-nymphs fon.
XXI.

An hundred Knights of honourable name
He had fubdu'd, and them his vaffals made,
That through all Fairy lond his noble fame
Now blazed was, and fear did all invade,
That none durft paffen through that per❜lous glade :
And to advance his name and glory more,
Her Sea-god fire the dearly did perfuade,
T'endow her fon with treasure and rich store,
'Bove all the fons, that were of earthly wombs ybore.
XXII

The God did graunt his daughters dear demand,
To doen his nephew in all riches flow;
Eftfoons his heaped waves he did command,
Out of their hollow bofom forth to throw
All the huge treasure, which the sea below
Had in his greedy gulf devoured deep,
And him enriched through the overthrow
And wrecks of many wretches, which did weep
And often wail their wealth, which he from them did keep.
XXIII.

Shortly upon that fhore there heaped was
Exceeding riches, and all precious things,
The fpoil of all the world, that it did pafs
The wealth of th' Eaft, and pomp of Perfian kings;
Gold, amber, ivory, pearls, owches, rings,
And all that elfe was precious and dear,
The fea unto him voluntary brings,
That shortly he a great Lord did appear,
As was in all the lond of Fairy, or elsewhere.

XXIV.

Thereto he was a doughty dreaded Knight,
Tride often to the fcathe of many dear,
That none in equal arms him matchen might:
The which his mother feeing, 'gan to fear
Left his too haughty hardinefs might rear
Some hard mishap, in hazard of his life:
Forthy fhe oft him counsel'd to forbear
The bloody battle, and to ftir up ftrife,
But after all his war, to reft his weary knife.
XXV.

And for his more affurance, fhe inquir'd'
One day of Proteus by his mighty spell
(For Proteus was with prophecy infpir'd)
Her dear fons deftiny to her to tell,
And the fad end of her fweet Marinell.
Who through forefight of his eternal skill,
Bade her from woman-kind to keep him well:
For of a woman he fhould have much ill,

A virgin ftrange and ftout him fhould difmay or kill.
XXVI.

Forthy she gave him warning every day,
The love of women not to entertain;
A leffon too too hard for living clay,
From love in course of nature to refrain:
Yet he his mother's lore did well retain,
And ever from fair Ladies love did flie;
Yet many Ladies fair did oft complain,
That they for love of him would algates die :
Die, whofo lift for him, he was Loves enemy.
XXVII.

But ah, who can deceive his destiny,

Or ween by warning to avoid his fate?
That when he fleeps in moft fecurity,
And fafelt seems, him fooneft doth amate,
And findeth due effect or foon or late.
So feeble is the powre of fleshly arm.

His mother bade him womens love to hate ;
For the of womans force did fear no harm;

So weening to have arm'd him, the did quite difarm.

XXVIII.

This was that woman, this that deadly wound,
That Proteus prophecide fhould him dismay;
The which his mother vainly did expound,
To be heart-wounding love, which should affay
To bring her fon unto his laft decay..

So tickle be the terms of mortal state,
And full of fubtle fophifms, which do play
With double fenfes, and with false debate,
T'approve the unknown purpose of eternal fate.
XXIX.

Too true the famous Marinell it found,

Who through late trial, on that wealthy ftrond
Inglorious now lies in fenfelefs fwound,
Through heavy ftroke of Britomartis hond.
Which when his mother dear did understond,
And heavy tydings heard, whereas the plaid
Amongst her watry fifters by a pond,

Gathering sweet Daffadillies, to have made

Gay girlonds, from the fun their forheads fair to fhade;
XXX.

Eftfoons both flowres and girlonds far away
She flung, and her fair dewy locks yrent,
To forrow huge fhe turn'd her former play,
And gamesome mirth to grievous dreriment:
She threw herself down on the continent,
Ne word did speak, but lay as in a swoun,
Whiles all her fifters did for her lament,

With yelling out-cries, and with fhrieking fou❜n; And every one did tear her girlond from her crown. XXXI.

Soon as the up out of her deadly fit

Arofe, fhe bade her charet to be brought,
And all her fifters, that with her did fit,
Bade eke attonce their charets to be fought;
Tho full of bitter grief and pensive thought,
She to her wagon clomb; clomb all the reft,
And forth together went, with forrow fraught.
The waves obedient to their beheaft,
Them yielded ready paffage, and their rage furceaft.

XXXII.

Great Neptune ftood amazed at their fight,

Whiles on his broad round back they foftly flid,
And eke himself mourn'd at their mournful plight,
Yet wift not what their wailing meant, yet did
For great compaffion of their forrow, bid
His mighty waters to them buxom be:
Eftfoons the roaring billows still abid,
And all the griefly monsters of the fea
Stood gaping at their gate, and wondred them to fee.
XXXIII.

A teme of Dolphins, ranged in array,
Drew the fmooth charet of fad Cymoent;
They were all taught by Triton, to obey
To the long reins, at her commandement:
As fwift as Swallows on the waves they went,
That their broad flaggy fins no fome did rear,
Ne bubling roundel they behind them fent ;
The reft, of other fishes drawen were,

Which with their finny oars the fwelling fea did fhear.
XXXIV.

Soon as they been arriv'd upon the brim

Of the Rich frond, their charets they forlore,
And let their temed fishes foftly swim

Along the margent of the foamy shore,

Left they their fins fhould bruize, and furbate fore Their tender feet upon the ftony ground: And coming to the place, where all in gore And cruddy blood enwallowed they found The lucklefs Marinell, lying in deadly swound XXXV.

His mother swouned thrice, and the third time
Could scarce recovred be out of her pain;
Had fhe not been devoid of mortal flime,
She should not then have been reliv'd again:
But foon as life recovred had the rein,
She made fo pitious moan and drear wayment,
That the hard rocks could fcarce from tears refrain,
And all her fifter Nymphs with one confent
Supplide her fobbing breaches with fad compliment.