Who streight her leading with meete majestie
Unto the pallace where their kings did rayne,
Did her therein establish peaceablie,
And to her kingdomes seat restore agayne:
And all such persons, as did late maintayne
That Tyrants part with close or open ayde,
He sorely punished with heavie payne;
That in short space, whiles there with her he
stayd,
[obayd.
But, ere he coulde reforme it thoroughly,
He through occasion called was away
His course of Justice he was forst to stay,
To Faerie Court, that of necessity
And Talus to revoke from the right way
In which he was that Realme for to redresse:
But envies cloud still dimmeth vertues ray.
So, having freed Irena from distresse,
He tooke his leave of her there left in heavi-
And there arriv'd againe whence forth he set,
Tho, as he backe returned from that laud,
He had not passed farre upon the strand,
By the way side being together set;
When as two old ill favour'd Hags he met,
Two griesly creatures: and, to that their faces
Most foule and filthie were, their garments
yet,
Being all rag'd and tatter'd, their disgraces
Did much the more augment, and made most
ugly cases.
The one of them, that elder did appeare,
With her dull eyes did seeme to looke askew,
That her mis-shape much helpt; and her foule
beare
Hung loose and loathsomely: Thereto her hew
And all her bones might through her cheekes
Was wan and leane, that all her teeth arew,
Her lips were, like raw lether, pale and blew:
And as she spake therewith she slavered;
Yet spake she seldom, but thought more the
Her hands were foule and durtie, never washt
Like puttocks clawes; with th' one of which In all her life, with long navles over-raught, she scracht
Not one was left that durst her once have dis-Her cursed head, although it itched naught:
During which time that he did there remayne,
His studie was true Justice how to deale,
And day and night employ'd his busie paine
How to reforme that ragged common-weale:
The other held a snake with venime fraught,
As if that long she had not eaten ought;
On which she fed and gnawed hungrily,
That round about her jawes one might descry
The bloudie gore and poyson dropping loth-
somely.