And forth he comes into the common hall,
Where early wait him many a gazing eye,
To weet what end to ftranger Knights may fall.
There many minstrels maken melody,
To drive away the dull melancholy;
And many bards, that to the trembling chord
Can tune their timely voices cunningly,
And many chroniclers, that can record
Old loves, and wars for Ladies doen by many a Lord.
IV.
Soon after comes the cruel Sarazin,
In woven mail all armed warily,
And fternly looks at him, who not a pin
Does care for look of living creatures eye.
They bring them wines of Greece and Araby,
And dainty fpices fetcht from furtheft Ind,
To kindle heat of courage privily:
And in the wine a folemn oath they bind
T'observe the facred laws of arms that are affign'd.
V.
At laft, forth comes that far renowned Queen,
With royal pomp and princely majesty;
She is ybrought unto a paled green,
And placed under stately canopy,
The warlike feats of both thofe Knights to fee.
On th' other fide, in all mens open view
Duella placed is, and on a tree
Sans-foy his fhield is hang'd with bloody hue : Both those the lawrel girlonds to the victor due. VI.
A fhrilling trumpet founded from on high,
And unto battle bade themselves address:
Their fhining fhields about their wrifts they tye,
And burning blades about their heads do blefs,
The inftruments of wrath and heaviness:
With greedy force each other doth assail,
And ftrike fo fiercely, that they do imprefs
Deep dinted furrows in the battred mail;
The iron walls to ward their blows are weak and frail
VII.
The Sarazin was ftout, and wondrous strong,
And heaped blows like iron hammers great:
For after blood and vengeance he did long.
The Knight was fierce and full of youthly heat;
And doubled ftrokes, like dreaded thunders threat:
For all for praise and honour he did fight.
Both ftriken ftrike, and beaten both do beat,
That from their fhields forth flyeth fiery light,
And helmets hewen deep, fhew marks of eithers might,
VIII.
So th' one for wrong, the other ftrives for right:
As when a Griffon, feized of his prey,
A Dragon fierce encountreth in his flight,
Through wideft ayr making his idle way,
That would his rightful ravine rend away:
With hideous horror both together fmite,
And fouce fo fore, that they the heav'ns affray :
The wife footh-fayer, feeing fo fad fight,
Th' amazed vulgar tells of wars and mortal fight.
IX.
So th' one for wrong, the other ftrives for right,
And each to deadly shame would drive his foe:
The cruel steel fo greedily doth bite
In tender flesh, that ftreams of blood down flow,
With which the arms, that earft so bright did show,
Into a pure vermilion now are dy'd:
Great ruth in all the gazers hearts did grow, Seeing the gored wounds to gape fo wide, That victory they dare not wish to either fide.
At last, the Paynim chanct to caft his eye,
His fuddain eye, flaming with wrathful fire,
Upon his brothers fhield, which hung thereby:
Therewith redoubled was his raging ire,
And faid, ah wretched fon of woeful fire,
Doft thou fit wayling by black Stygian lake,
Whilft here thy fhield is hang'd for victors hire,
And fluggish German doft thy forces flake,
To after-fend his foe, that him may overtake?
XI.
Go caitive Elf, him quickly overtake,
And foon redeem from his long wandring woe.
Go guilty ghoft, to him my meffage make,
That I his fhield have quit from dying foe.
Therewith upon his crest he ftrook him fo,
That twice he reeled, ready twice to fall.
End of the doubtful battle deemed tho
The lookers on, and loud to him 'gan call
The falfe Duelfa, thine the fhield, and I, and all.
XII.
Soon as the Fairy heard his Lady fpeak,
Out of his fwouning dream he 'gan awake,
And quickning faith, that earft was woxen weak,
The creeping deadly cold away did fhake:
Tho mov'd with wrath, and fhame, and Ladies fake,
Of all attonce he caft aveng'd to be,
And with fo' exceeding fury at him ftrake,
That forced him to ftoop upon his knee.
Had he not stooped fo, he fhould have cloven be.
XIII.
And to him said, go now proud mifcreant,
Thy felf thy meffage do to German dear;
Alone he wandring thee too long doth want:
Go, fay his foe thy fhield with his doth bear.
Therewith his heavy hand he high 'gan rear,
Him to have flain; when lo, a darkfome cloud
Upon him fell he no where doth appear,
But vanisht is. The Elf him calls aloud,
But answer none receives: the darkness him does shroud.
In hafte Duessa from her place arofe,
And to him running faid, O proweft Knight,
That ever Lady to her love did chofe,
Let now abate the terror of your might, And quench the flame of furious defpight, And bloody vengeance; Lo, th' infernal powres Covering your foe with cloud of deadly night, Have borne him hence to Plutos baleful bowres. The conqueft yours, I yours, the shield, and glory yours.
Not all fo fatisfide, with greedy eye
He fought, all round about, his thirsty blade
To bathe in blood of faithless enemy;
Who all that while lay hid in fecret fhade:
He stands amazed, how he thence fhould fade.
At laft the trumpets, triumph found on high,
And running Heralds humble homage made,
Greeting him goodly with new victory,
And to him brought the fhield, the caufe of enmity.
XVI.
Wherewith he goeth to that foveraine Queen;
And falling her before on lowly knee,
To her makes prefent of his fervice feen:
Which the accepts, with thanks, and goodly gree,
Greatly advancing his gay chevalree;
So marcheth home, and by her takes the Knight, Whom all the people follow with great glee, Shouting, and clapping all their hands on height, That all the air it fills, and flyes to heaven bright.
Home is he brought, and laid in fumptuous bed:
Where many skilful leaches him abide,
To falve his hurts, that yet ftill freshly bled.
In wine and oyl they wafh his woundes wide,
And foftly 'gan embalm on every fide.
And all the while moft heavenly melody
About the bed sweet mufick did divide,
Him to beguile of grief and agony :
And all the while Duella wept full bitterly.
XVIII.
As when a weary traveller that ftrays
By muddy fhore of broad feven-mouthed Nile,
Unweeting of the perillous wandring ways,
Doth meet a cruel crafty crocodile,
Which in false grief hiding his harmful guile,
Doth weep full fore, and fheddeth tender tears:
The foolish man, that pities all this while
His mournful plight, is fwallow'd up unwares,
Forgetful of his own, that minds anothers cares.
So wept Duela until even-tide,
That fhining lamps in Joves high house were light Then forth the rofe, ne longer would abide,
But comes unto the place, where th' heathen Knight
In Alumbring fwoun nigh void of vital spright,
Lay cover'd with inchaunted cloud all day:
Whom when she found, as fhe him left in plight,
To wail his woeful cafe fhe would not stay,
But to the eastern coaft of heaven makes speedy way.
XX.
Where griefly Night, with vifage deadly fad,
That Phebus chearful face durft never view,
And in a foul black pitchy mantle clad,
She finds forth coming from her darkfome mew,
Where the all day did hide her hated hew.
Before the door her iron charet stood,
Already harneffed for journey new;
And coalblack steeds yborn of hellish brood,
That on their rufty bits did champ, as they were wood.
XXI.
Who when she saw Dueffa funny bright,
Adorn'd with gold and jewels fhining clear,
She greatly grew amazed at the fight,
And th' unacquainted light began to fear:
(For never did fuch brightness there appear)
And would have back retired to her cave,
Until the Witches fpeech fhe 'gan to hear,
Saying, Yet oh thou dreaded Dame, I crave
Abide, till I have told the meflage which I have.
XXII.
She ftaid, and forth Dueffa 'gan proceed,
O thou most ancient Grandmother of all, More old than Jove, whom thou at first didft breed, Or that great houfe of Gods celeftial, Which waft begot in Demogorgans hall, And faw'ft the fecrets of the world unmade, Why fuffredft thou thy Nephews dear to fall With Elfin fword, moft fhamefully betrayd? Lo where the ftout Sans-joy doth fleep in deadly fhade.
|