My Lady and my Love, is cru'lly pend
In doleful darkness from the view of day,
Whilft deadly torments do her chafte breast rend,
And the sharp fteel doth rive her heart in tway,
All for the Scudamour, will not denay.
Yet thou, vile man, vile Scudamour, art found,
Ne canft her aid, ne canft her foe difmay;
Unworthy wretch to tread upon the ground,
For whom fo fair a Lady feels fo fore a wound.
XII.
There an huge heap of fingulfs did opprefs
His ftrugling foul, and fwelling throbs empeach
His foltring tongue with pangs of drerinefs,
Choaking the remnant of his plaintif speech,
As if his days were come to their laft reach.
Which when she heard, and faw the ghaftly fit,
Threatning into his life to make a breach,
Both with great ruth and terrour fhe was fmit, Fearing left from her cage the weary foul would flit. XIII.
Tho stooping down, fhe him amoved light;
Who there-with fome-what starting, up 'gan look,
And seeing him behind a stranger Knight,
Whereas no living creature he mistook,
With great indignance he that fight forfook,
And down again himself difdainfully
Abjecting, th'earth with his fair forhead ftrook :
Which the bold virgin feeing, 'gan apply
Fit medcine to his grief, and fpeak thus courteously.
XIV.
Ah! gentle Knight, whofe deep conceived grief
Well seems t' exceed the powre of patience,
Yet if that heavenly grace fome good relief
You fend, fubmit you to high providence;
And ever, in your noble heart prepense,
That all the forrow in the world is lefs
Than vertues might, and values confidence:
For who nill bide the burden of distress,
Muft not here think to live; for life is wretchedness.
Therefore (fair Sir) do comfort to you take,
And freely read, what wicked felon fo
Hath out-rag'd you, and thrald your gentle make:
Perhaps this hand may help to eafe your woe,
And wreak your forrow on your cruel foe,
At least, it fair endeavour will apply.
Those feeling words fo near the quick did go,
That up his head he reared eafily;
And leaning on his elbow, these few words let fly.
What boots it 'plain that cannot be redrest,
And fow vain forrow in a fruitless ear,
Sith powre of hand, nor skill of learned breaft,
Ne worldly price cannot redeem my dear,
Out of her thraldome, and continual fear?
For he (the tyrant) which her hath in ward
By strong enchantments, and black magick lear,
Hath in a dungeon deep her close embard,
'Aud many dreadful fiends hath pointed to her guard.
XVII.
There he tormenteth her moft terribly,
And day and night afflicts with mortal pain, Becaufe to yield him love fhe doth deny, Once to me yold, not to be yold again: But yet by torture he would her constrain Love to conceive in her difdainful breaft; Till fo fhe do, fhe muft in dool remain, Ne may by living means be thence releast : What boots it then to 'plain, that cannot be redrest? XVIII.
With this fad herfal of his heavy stress,
The warlike Damzel was empaffion'd fore,
And faid; Sir Knight, your caufe is nothing lefs
Than is your forrow certes if not more;
For nothing fo much pity doth implore,
As gentle Ladies helpless mifery.
But yet, if pleafe ye liften to my lore,
I will (with proof of laft extremity.)
Deliver her from thence, or with her for you dye.
Ah! gentleft Knight alive, faid Scudamour ;'
What huge heroick magnanimity
Dwells in thy bounteous breaft? what couldst thou more
If she were thine, and thou as now am I?
O fpare thy happy days, and them apply
To better boot, but let me dye that ought;
More is more lofs: one is enough to dye.
Life is not loft; faid fhe, for which is bought
Endless renown, that more than death is to be fought.
XX.
Thus fhe at length perfuaded him to rise,
And with her wend, to fee what new fuccefs
Mote him befall upon new enterprise.
His arms, which he had vow'd to disprofess,
She gather'd up, and did about him dress,
And his forwandred fteed unto him got:
So forth they both yfere make their progress,
And march not paft the mount'naunce of a fhot,
Till they arriv'd, whereas their purpose they did plot.
XXI.
There they difmounting, drew their weapons bold,
And ftoutly came unto the caftle gate;
Whereas no gate they found them to with-hold,
Nor ward to wait at morn and evening late;
But in the porch (that did them fore amate)
A flaming fire ymixt with smouldry smoke,
And ftinking fulphure, that with griefly hate
And dreadful horrour did all entrance choke,
Enforced them their forward footing to revoke.
XXII.
Greatly thereat was Britomart difmay'd,
Ne in that ftownd wift how her felf to bear;
For danger vain it were to have affayd
That cruel element, which all things fear,
Ne none can fuffer to approachen near :
And turning back to Scudamour, thus faid;
What monstrous enmity provoke we here,
Fool-hardy as th'Earths children, the which made
Battle against the Gods? fo we a God invade.
XXIII.
Danger without difcretion to attempt,
Inglorious, beaft-like is: therefore, Sir Knight,
Aread what course of you is safest dempt,
And how we with our foe may come to fight.
This is, quoth he, the dolorous defpight,
Which earft to you I plain'd: for neither may
This fire he quencht by any wit or might,
Ne yet by any means remov'd away,
So mighty be th'enchauntments which the fame do stay.
XXIV.
What is there elfe, but cease these fruitless pains,
And leave me to my former languifhing?
Fair Amoret muft dwell in wicked chains,
And Scudamour here dye with forrowing.
Perdy not fo, faid fhe; for fhameful thing
It were t'abandon noble chevifaunce,
For fhew of peril, without venturing:
Rather let try extremities of chaunce,
Than enterprised praise for dread to difavaunce.
XXV..
There-with refolv'd to prove her utmost might,
Her ample fhield fhe threw before her face,
And (her fwords point directing forward right)
Affail'd the flame, the which eftfoons gave place,
And did itfelf divide with equal space,
That through the paffed, as a thunder-bolt
Pierceth the yielding air, and doth displace
The foaring clouds into fad fhowres y molt;
So to her yold the flames, and did their force revolt.
XXVI.
Whom whenas Scudamour faw paft the fire,
Safe and untoucht, he likewife 'gan affay,
With greedy will, and envious defire,
And bade the ftubborn flames to yield him way:
But cruel Mulciber would not obey
His threatful pride; but did the more augment His mighty rage, and with imperious fway Him forc'd (maulgre) his fierceness to relent, And back retire, all fcorcht and pitifully brent.
XXVII.
With huge impatience he inly fwelt,
More for great forrow that he could not pass,
Than for the burning torment which he felt,
That with fell woodnefs he effierced was,
And wilfully him throwing on the grafs,
Did beat and bounse his head and breast full fore:
The whiles the championefs now entred has
The utmost room, and past the formoft dore,
The utmost room abounding with all precious store.
XXVIII.
For round about, the walls yclothed were
With goodly arras of great majefty,
Woven with gold and filk fo close and near,
That the rich metal lurked privily,
As feigning to be hid from envious eye;
Yet here, and there, and every where unwares
It fhew'd it felf, and fhone unwillingly;
Like a difcolour'd Snake, whofe hidden fnares [clares. Through the green grafs, his long bright burnifht back deXXIX.
And in thofe tapets weren fashioned
Many fair pourtraicts, and many a fair feat:
And all of Love, and all of lufty-hed,
As feemed by their femblaunt, did entreat;
And eke all Cupids wars they did repeat,
And cruel battles, which he whylome fought
Gainft all the Gods, to make his empire great;
Befides the huge maffacres, which he wrought
On mighty Kings and Kefars, into thraldom brought.
XXX.
Therein was writ, how often thundring Jove
Had felt the point of his heart-piercing dart,
And leaving heavens Kingdom here did rove
In ftrange difguife, to flake his fcalding fmart,
Now like a Ram, fair Helle to pervart,
Now like a Bull, Europa to withdraw :
Ah, how the fearful Ladies tender heart
Did lively feem to tremble, when the faw
The huge feas under her t'obey her fervants law!
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