What had the th'eternal maker need of thee,
The world in his continual courfe to keep,
That doft all things deface, ne letteft fee
The beauty of his work? Indeed in fleep,
The flothful body, that doth love to steep
His luftlefs limbs, and drown his bafer mind,
Doth praise thee oft, and oft from Stygian deep
Calls thee, his Goddefs in his errour blind,
And great dame Natures hand-maid, chearing every kind.
L.VII.
But well I wote, that to an heavy heart
Thou art the root and nurfe of bitter cares,
Breeder of new, renewer of old smarts:
Instead of reft thou lendeft railing tears,
Instead of fleep thou fendeft troublous fears,
And dreadful vifions, in the which alive
The dreary image of fad death appears :
So from the weary fpirit thou doft drive
Defired reft, and men of happiness deprive.
LVIII.
Under thy mantle black there hidden lye,
Light-fhunning theft, and traiterous intent,
Abhorred bloodfhed, and vile felony,
Shameful deceit, and danger imminent;
Foul horror, and eke hellish dreriment:
All these (I wote) in thy protection be,
And light do fhun, for fear of being shent:
For light ylike is loath'd of them and thee,
And all that lewdnefs love, do hate the light to fee.
LIX.
For day difcovers all dishonest ways,
And fheweth each thing as it is indeed:
The praises of high God he fair displays,
And his large bounty rightly doth areed.
Days dearest children be the blessed feed,
Which darkness fhall fubdue, and heaven win:
Truth is his daughter; he her firft did breed,
Moft facred virgin, without fpot of fin.
Our life is day: but death with darknefs deth begin.
O when will day then turn to me again,
And bring with him his long expected light?
O Titan, hafte to rear thy joyous wain:
Speed thee to spread abroad thy beamës bright,
And chafe away this too long lingring Night;
Chafe her away, from whence fhe came, to hell.
She, fhe it is, that hath me done defpight:
There let her with the damned fpirits dwell,
And yield her room to day, that can it govern well.
LXI.
Thus did the Prince that weary night out-wear,
In restless anguish and unquiet pain :
And early, ere the morrow did uprear
His deawy head out of the Ocean main,
He up arofe, as half in great difdain,
And clomb unto his fteed. So forth he went,
With heavy look and lumpish pace, that plain
In him bewrayd great grudge and maltalent:
His steed eke feem'd t'apply his fteps to his intent.
Prince Arthur bears of Florimel:
Three Fofters Timias wound:
Belphoebe finds him almoft dead,
And reareth out of fwound.
onder it is to fee, in diverfe minds
How diverfly Love doth his pageants play,
And fhews his powre in variable kinds :
The bafer wit, whofe idle thoughts alway
Are wont to cleave unto the lowly clay,
It stirreth up to fenfual defire,
And in leud floth to wafte his careless day:
But in brave sprite it kindles goodly fire,
That to all high desert and honour doth aspir.
Ne fuffreth it uncomely idleness,
In his free thought to build her fluggish neft:
Ne fuffreth it thought of ungentleness,
Ever to creep into his noble breaft
But to the higheft and the worthieft
Lifteth it up, that elfe would lowly fall:
It lets not fall, it lets it not to reft:
It lets not scarce this Prince to breathe at all,
But to his first purfuit him forward ftill doth call:
III.
Who long time wandred through the foreft wide,
To find fome iffue thence, till that at laft
He met a Dwarf, that feemed terrifide
With fome late peril, which he hardly paft,
Or other accident, which him aghaft;
Of whom he asked, whence he lately came,
And whither now he travelled fo faft.
For fore he fweat, and running through that fame Thick foreft, was bescratcht, and both his feet nigh lame. IV.
Panting for breath, and almoft out of heart,
The Dwarf him anfwer'd, Sir, ill mote I ftay
To tell the fame. I lately did depart
From Fairy-court, where I have many a day
Served a gentle Lady of great fway,
And high account through-out all Elfin land,
Who lately left the fame, and took this way:
Her now I feek, and if ye understand
Which way the fared hath, good Sir tell out of hand.
What mister wight, faid he, and how arraid:
Royally clad, quoth he in cloth of gold,
As meeteft may befeem a noble maid;
Her fair locks in rich circlet be enrold,
And fairer wight did never fun behold,
And on a palfrey rides more white than fnow,
Yet the herself is whiter manifold:
The fureft fign whereby ye may her know,
Is that he is the faireft wight alive, I trow.
VI.
Now certes fwain, faid he, fuch one I ween,
Faft flying through this foreft from her foe,
A foul ill favour'd Fofter, I have feen;
Her felf (well as I might) I reskew'd tho,
But could not stay; fo faft fhe did forego,
Carried away with wings of speedy fear.
Ah dearest God, quoth he, that is great woe,
And wondrous ruth to all that fhall it hear.
But can ye read, Sir, how I may her find, or where?
VII.
Perdy, me liefer were to weeten that
Said he, than ranfom of the richest Knight,
Or all the good that ever yet I gat:
But froward fortune, and too forward night
Such happiness did (maulgre) to me fpight.
And from me reft both life and light attone.
But Dwarf aread, what is that Lady bright,
That through this foreft wandreth thus alone?
For of her errour ftrange I have great ruth and moane.
VIII.
That Lady is, quoth he, where-fo fhe be,
The bountiest virgin, and moft debonaire,
That ever living eye I ween did fee;
Lives none this day, that may with her compare
In stedfast chastity and vertue rare,
The goodly ornaments of beauty bright;
And is ycleped Florimell the fair,
Fair Florimell, belov'd of many a Knight;
Yet fhe loves none but one, that Marinell is hight.
IX.
A Sea-nymphs fon, that Marinell is hight,
Of my dear Dame is loved dearly well;
In other none, but him, fhe fets delight:
All her delight is fet on Marinell;
But he fets nought at all by Florimell:
For Ladies love, his mother long ygo
Did him (they fay) forwarn through facred fpell.
But fame now flies, that of a foreign foe
He is yflain, which is the ground of all our woe,
Five days there be, fince he (they fay) was flain,
And four fince Florimell the court for-went,
And vowed never to return again,
Till him alive or dead fhe did invent.
Therefore, fair Sir, for love of knighthood gent,
And honour of true Ladies, if ye may
By your good counsel, or bold hardiment,
Or fuccour her, or me direct the way;
Do one or other good, I you most humbly pray.
XÍ.
So may you gain to you full great renowm,
Of all good Ladies through the world fo wide,
And haply in her heart find highest room
Of whom ye feek to be moft magnifide :
At least eternal meed fhall you abide.
To whom the Prince; Dwarf comfort to thee take, For till thou tidings learn what her betide,
I here avow thee never to forfake.
Ill wears he arms, that nill them ufe for Ladies fake.
XII.
So with the Dwarf he back return'd again,
To feek his Lady, where he mote her find;
But by the way, he greatly 'gan complain
The want of his good Squire late left behind,
For whom he wondrous penfive grew in mind,
For doubt of danger which mote him betide.;
For him he loved above all man-kind.
Having him true and faithful ever tride,
And bold, as ever Squire that waited by Knights fide;
XIII.
Who all this while, full hardly was affaid
Of deadly danger, which to him betid;
For whiles his Lord purfu'd that noble maid,
After that Fofter foul he fiercely rid,
To been avenged of the fhame he did
To that fair Damzel: him he chaced long
Through the thick woods, wherein he would have hid His fhameful head from his avengement strong:
And oft him threatned death for his outrageous wrong. Dda
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