She bore it thence, and ever as her owne it Both horse and armes and what so else to lend, Yet he them all refusd, though thankt her as a frend;

CANTO V.

The salvage serves Serena well,
Till she Prince Arthure fynd;
Who her, together with his Squyre,
With th' Hermit leaves behynd.

As ye may know when time shall be to tell the And beat her breast, and piteously her selfe

V

Upon the ground her selfe she fiercely threw, Regardlesse of her wounds yet blee ling rife, That with their bloud did all the flore imbrew, As if her breast, new launcht with murdrous knife,

life.

Withouten thought of shame or villeny,
Ne ever shewed signe of foule disloyalty.

x

Upon a day, as on their way they went, It chaunst some furniture about her steed Would streight dislodge the wretched wearie To be disordred by some accident, [lay, Which to redresse she did th' assistance need There she long groveling and deepe groning Of this her groome; which he by signes did As if her vitall powers were at strife With stronger death, and feared their decay: Such were this Ladies pangs and dolorous

assay.

VI

Whom when the Salvage saw so sore distrest, He reared her up from the bloudie ground, And sought by all the meanes that he could

best

reede,

And streight his combrous armes aside did lay
Upon the ground withouten doubt or dreed;
And in his homely wize began to assay
T' amend what was amisse, and put in right

aray.

ΧΙ

Bout which whilest he was busied thus hard, Lo! where a knight, together with his squire, Her to recure out of that stony swound, All arm'd to point came ryding thetherward; And staunch the bleeding of her dreary wound: Which seemed, by their portance and attire, Yet nould she be recomforted for nought, To be two errant knights, that did inquire Nor cease her sorrow and impatient stound, After adventures, where they mote them get. But day and night did vexe her carefull Those were to weet (if that ye it require) thought, [wrought. Prince Arthur and young Timias, which met And ever more and more her owne affliction By straunge occasion that here needs forth be

The Blatant Beast the fittest meanes they found And threats his horns, and bellowes like the To worke his utter shame, and throughly him confound.

Who, seeing one in so great daunger set
Mongst many foes, him selfe did faster hye
For pitty so to see him overset:
To reskue him, and his weake part abet,
Whom soone as his three enemies did vew,
They fled, and fast into the wood did get.
Him booted not to thinke them to pursew,
The covert was so thicke that did no passage
shew.

Then turning to that swaine him well he knew
To be his Timias, his owne true Squire;
Whereof exceeding glad he to him drew,
And, him embracing twixt his armes entire,
Why have ye me alone thus long yleft?
Him thus bespake: My liefe, my lifes desire,
Tell me what worlds despight, or heavens yre,
Hath you thus long away from me bereft?
Where have ye all this while bin wandring,
where bene weft?'

With that he sighed deepe for inward tyne:
But, shedding few soft teares from tender eyne,
To whom the Squire nought aunswered againe,
His dear affect with silence did restraine,
And shut up all his plaint in privy paine.

'In salvage forrest I him lost of late,
Where I had surely long ere this bene dead,
Or else remained in most wretched state,
Had not this wylde man in that wofull stead
Kept and delivered me from deadly dread.
In such a salvage wight, of brutish kynd,

So now they be arrived both in sight
Of this wyld man, whom they full busie found Amongst wilde beastes in desert forrests bred,
About the sad Serena things to dight,
It is most straunge and wonderfull to fynd
With those brave armours lying on the ground, So milde humanity and perfect gentle mynd.
That seem'd the spoile of some right well re-
nownd:

[stept Which when that Squire beheld, he to them Thinking to take them from that hylding hound;

But he it seeing lightly to him lept,

XXX

'Let me therefore this favour for him finde,
That ye will not your wrath upon him wreake,
Sith he cannot expresse his simple minde,
Ne yours conceive, ne bnt by tokens speake:

And sternely with strong hand it from his Small praise to prove your powre on wight so handling kept.

XXVI

Gnashing his grinded teeth with griesly looke,

And sparkling fire out of his furious eyne, Him with his fist unwares on th' head he strooke,

weake.'
[swage,
With such faire words she did their heat as-
And the strong course of their displeasure
breake,

That they to pitty turnd their former rage,
And each sought to supply the office of her page.

XXXI

That made him downe unto the earth encline; So having all things well about her dight,
Whence soone upstarting much he gan repine, She on her way cast forward to proceede,
And laying hand upon his wrathfull blade And they her forth conducted, where they
Thought therewithall forthwith him to have

slaine;

might

Finde harbour fit to comfort her great neede;
For now her wounds corruption gan to breed:
And eke this Squire, who likewise wounded was
Of that same Monster late, for lacke of heed
Now gan to faint, and further could not pas
Through feeblenesse, which all his limbes op-
pressed has.

some ease

XXXII

So forth they rode together all in troupe To seeke some place the which mote yeeld [droupe : To these sicke twaine, that now began to And all the way the Prince sought to appease The bitter anguish of their sharpe disease or By all the courteous meanes he could invent; Somewhile with merry purpose, fit to please, And otherwhile with good encouragement To make them to endure the pains did them torment.

To whom she thus: I am, as now ye see, The wretchedst Dame that lives this day on ground;

Who both in minde, the which most grieveth
And body have receiv'd a mortall wound, [me,
That hath me driven to this drery stound.
I was erewhile the love of Calepine;
Who whether he alive be to be found,
Or by some deadly chaunce be done to pine
Since I him lately lost, uneath is to define.

XXXIII

Mongst which Serena did to him relate
The foule discourt'sies and unknightly parts,
Which Turpine had unto her shewed late,
Without compassion of her cruell smarts:
Although Blandina did with all her arts
Him otherwise perswade all that she might,
Yet he of malice, without her desarts,