Hisshamefull head from his avengement strong,
A Sea-nymphes sonne, that Marinell is hight, And oft him threatned death for his outrageous
Of my deare Dame is loved dearely well: In other none, but him, she sets delight; All her delight is set on Marinell, But he sets nought at all by Florimell; For Ladies love his mother long ygoe Did him, they say, forwarne through sacred spell :
But fame now flies, that of a forreine foe He is yslaine, which is the ground of all our
Nathlesse the villein sped himselfe so well, Whether through swiftnesse of his speedie Or knowledge of those woods where he did beast, [dwell, That shortly he from daunger was releast, Yet not escaped from the dew reward And out of sight escaped at the least: Of his bad deedes, which daily he increast, The heavie plague that for such leachours is Ne ceased not, till him oppressed hard prepard.
For soone as he was vanisht out of sight, And cast t' avenge him of that fowle despight His coward courage gan emboldned bee, which he had borne of his bold enimee: Tho to his brethren came, for they were three And unto them complayned how that. he Ungratious children of one gracelesse syre, Had used beene of that foolehardie Squyre: So them with bitter words he stird to bloodie yre.
Of spoyle and murder they gan arme bylive, And with him foorth into the forrest went To wreake the wrath, which he did earst revive
In their sterne brests, on him which late did [drive Their brother to reproch and shamefull flight; Out of that forest should escape their might: For they had vow'd that never he alive Vile rancour their rude harts had fild with such despight.
Foreby a narrow foord, to them well knowne, Within that wood there was a covert glade, Through which it was uneath for wight to By that same way they knew that Squyre un- And now by fortune was overflowne. [ wade;
Mote algates passe: forthy themselves they There in await with thicke woods overgrowne, With cruell threats his passage through the And all the while their malice they did whet ford to let.
It fortuned, as they devised had: The gentle Squyre came ryding that same way,
Unweeting of their wile and treason bad, And through the ford to passen did assay; But that fierce foster, which late fled away, Stoutly foorth stepping on the further shore, Him boldly bad his passage there to stay, Till he had made amends, and full restore For all the damage which he had him doen afore.
With that at him a quiv'ring dart he threw, With so fell force, and villeinous despite, That through his haberjeon the forkehead flew, And through the linked mayles empierced quite,
Tho when that villayn he aviz'd, which late Affrighted had the fairest Florimell, Full of fiers fury and indignant hate To him he turned, and with rigor fell Smote him so rudely on the Pannikell, That to the chin he clefte his head in twaine. Downe on the ground his carkas groveling fell: His sinfull sowle with desperate disdaine Out of her fleshly ferme fled to the place of paine.
That seeing, now the only last of three Who with that wicked shafte him wounded had, But had no powre in his soft flesh to bite. Trembling with horror, as that did foresee That stroke the hardy Squire did sore displease, The fearefull end of his avengement sad, [bad, But more that him he could not come to smite; Through which he follow should his brethren For by no meanes the high banke he could His bootelesse bow in feeble hand upcaught, [vaine disease. And therewith shott an arrow at the lad; But labour'd long in that deepe ford with Which, fayntly fluttering, scarce his helmet
Providence hevenly passeth living thought, He, tombling downe, with gnashing teeth did And doth for wretched mens reliefe make way; The bitter earth, and bad to lett him in [bite For loe! great grace or fortune thither brought Into the balefull house of endlesse night, sin. Comfort to him that comfortlesse now lay. Where wicked ghosts doe waile their former Tho gan the battaile freshly to begin; For nathemore for that spectacle bad Did th' other two their cruell vengeaunce blin, But both attonce on both sides him bestad, And load upon him layd his life for to have had.
In those same woods ye well remember may How that a noble hunteresse did wonne, Shee, that base Braggadochio did affray, And make him fast out of the forest ronne; Belphoebe was her name, as faire as Phoebus
Into the woods thenceforth in haste shee went, To seeke for bearbes that mote him remedy; For shee of herbes had great intendiment, Taught of the Nymphe which from her infancy Her nourced had in trew Nobility: There, whether yt divine Tobacco were, Or Panachæa, or Polygony,
By this her Damzells, which the former chace Had undertaken after her, arryv'd, As did Belphoebe, in the bloody place, And thereby deemd the beast had bene depriv'd Of life, whom late their ladies arrow ryy'd ;
Shee fownd, and brought it to her patient deare, Who al this while lay bleding out his hart- Forthy the bloody tract they followd fast,
And every one to ronne the swiftest stryy'd;
« PreviousContinue » |