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And to your selfe doe it returne againe.
So from the Ocean all rivers spring,
And tribute backe repay as to their King:
Right so from you all goodly vertues well

361

Into the rest which round about you ring,
Faire Lords and Ladies which about you dwell,
And doe adorne your Court where courtesies
excell.

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And from her head her lockes he nigh did teare, His hope of refuge used to remaine : Ne would he spare for pitty, nor refraine for Whom Calidore perceiving fast to flie, feare.

XVIII

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He him pursu'd and chaced through the plaine,
That he for dread of death gan loude to crie
Unto the ward to open to him hastilie.

XXIII

They, from the wall him seeing so aghast,
The gate soone opened to receive him in;
But Calidore did follow him so fast,
And cleft his head asunder to his chin.
That even in the Porch he him did win,
Did choke the entrance with a lumpe of sin,
The carkasse tumbling downe within the dore
That it could not be shut; whilest Calidore
Did enter in, and slew the Porter on the flore.

XXIV

With that the rest the which the Castle kept
About him flockt, and hard at him did lay;
But he them all from him full lightly swept,
As doth a Steare, in heat of sommers day,
With his long taile the bryzes brush away.
Thence passing forth into the hall he came,
Where of the Lady selfe in sad dismay
He was ymett, who with uncomely shame
Gan him salute, and fowle upbrayd with faulty

blame.

XXV

'False traytor Knight!' (said she) 'no Knight But scorne of armes, that hast with guilty hand at all, Murdred my men, and slaine my Seneschall, Now comest thou to rob my house unmand, And spoile my selfe that can not thee withYet doubt thou not, but that some better Knight Then thou, that shall thy treason understand, And if none do, yet shame shal thee with shame Will it avenge, and pay thee with thy right; requight.'

stand?

XXVI

Yet answer'd thus: Not unto me the shame,
Much was the Knight abashed at that word
But to the shamefull doer it afford.

Bloud is no blemish, for it is no blame
To punish those that doe deserve the same;
But they that breake bands of civilitie,
And wicked customes make, those doe defame
No greater shame to man then inhumanitie.
Both noble armes and gentle curtesie.

XXVII

'Then doe your selfe, for dread of shame, for-
goe

This evil manner which ye here maintaine,
And doe instead thereof mild curt'sie showe
To all that passe: That shall you glory gaine

More then his love, which thus ye seeke t'ob-` taine.'

XXXII

Thereof full blyth the Lady streight became. Wherewith all full of wrath she thus replyde: And gan t' augment her bitternesse much 'Vile recreant ! know that I doe much disdaine Thy courteous lore, that doest my love deride, Yet no whit more appalled for the same, Who scornes thy ydle scoffe, and bids thee be Ne ought di-mayed was Sir Calidore,

defyde.'

XXVIII

To take defiaunce at a Ladies word

(Quoth he) I hold it no indignity;

more;

|But rather did more chearetull seeme there-
fore:

And having soone his armes about him dight,
Did issue forth to meete his foe afore:

But were he here, that would it with his sword Where long he stayed not. when as a Knight
Abett, perhaps he mote it deare aby.'
He spide come pricking on with all his powre
and might.

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'Cowherd!' (quoth she) were not that thou wouldst fly

Ere he doe come, he should be soone in place. 'If I doe so,' (sayd he) then liberty

I leave to you for ave me to disgrace

XXXIII

Well weend he streight that he should be the

same

Which tooke in hand her quarrell to maintaine;

With all those shames, that erst ye spake me Ne stayd to aske if it were he by name,

to deface,'

ΧΧΙΧ

With that a Dwarfe she cald to her in hast,
And taking from her hand a ring of gould,
A privy token which betweene them past,
Bad him to flie with all the speed he could
To Crudor; and desire him that he would
Vouchsafe to reskue her against a Knight,
Who through strong powre had now her self
in hould.

Having late slaine her Seneschall in fight,
And all her people murdred with outragious
might:

XXX

But coucht his speare, and ran at him amaine.
They bene ymett in middest of the plaine
With so fell fury and dispiteous for se,
That neither could the others stroke sustaine,
But rudely rowld to ground. both man and
horse.

Neither of other taking pitty nor remorse.

XXXIV

But Calidore uprose againe full light,
Whiles yet his foe lay fast in sencelesse swound;
Yet would he not him hurt although he might;
For shame he weend a sleeping wight to wound.
But when Briana saw that drery stound,

The Dwarfe his way did hast, and went all There where she stood uppon the Castle wall.
She de m'd him sure to have bene dead on
night;
ground;

But Calidore did with her there abyde
The comming of that so much threatned And made such piteous mourning therewithall,
That from the battlements she ready seem d
to fall.

Knight;
[pryde
Where that discourteous Dame with scornfull
And fowle entreaty him indignifyde,
That yron heart it hardly could sustaine:
Yet he, that could his wrath full wisely guyde,
Did well endure her womanish disdaine,
And did him selfe from fraile impatience re-
fraine.

ΧΧΧΙ

The morrow next, before the lampe of light
Above the earth upreard his flaming head,
The Dwarfe, which bore that message to her
knight,
[bread
Brought answere backe, that ere he tasted
He would her succour, and alive or dead
Her foe deliver up into her hand:
Therefore he wild her doe away all dread;
And, that of him she mote assured stand,
He sent to her his basenet as a faithfull
band.

XXXV

Nathlesse at length him selfe he did upreare
In lustlesse wise; as if against his will,
Ere he had slept his fill, he wakened were,
And gan to stretch his limbs; which feeling ill
Of his late fall, awhile he rested still:
But, when he saw his foe before in vew,
He shooke off luskishne-se: and courage chill
Kindling afresh, gan battell to renew. [ensew.
To prove if better foote then horsebacke would

XXXVI

There then began a fearefull cruell fray
Betwixt them two for maystery of might;
For both were wondrous practicke in that play,
And passing well expert in single fight,
And both inflam'd with furious despight:
Which as it still encreast, so still increast
Their cruell strokes and terrible affright;

Ne once for ruth their rigour they releast,
Ne once to breath awhile their angers tempest

ceast.

XXXVII

However strong and fortunate in fight,
Then the reproch of pride and cruelnesse.
In vaine he seeketh others to suppresse,
Who hath not learnd him selfe first to subdew:
All flesh is frayle and full of ficklenesse,

Thus long they trac'd and traverst to and fro,
And tryde all waies how each mote entrance Subject to fortunes chance, still chaunging new:
What haps to day to me to morrow may to
you.

make

Into the life of his malignant foe: [brake,
They hew'd their helmes, and plates asunder
As they had potshares bene; for nought mote
slake

Their greedy vengeaunces but goary blood,
That at the last like to a purple lake
Of bloudy gore congeal'd about them stood,
Which from their riven sides forth gushed like
a flood.

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