But most of them were tongues of mortall men, | Forth budded, and in greater number grew. Which spake reprochfully, not caring where Such was the fury of this hellish Beast,
Whilest Calidore him under him downe threw;
Who nathemore his heavy load releast,
But aye, the more he rag'd, the more his
powre increast,
Tho, when the Beast saw he mote nought availe
By force, he gan his hundred tongues apply,
And sharpely at him to revile and raile
With bitter termes of shamefull infamy;
Oft interlacing many a forged lie,
Whose like he never once did speake, nor heare,
Nor ever thought thing so unworthily:
Yet did he nought, for all that, him forbeare,
But strained him so streightly that he chokt
him neare.
At last, when as he found his force to shrincke And rage to quaile, he tooke a muzzel strong Of surest yron, made with many a lincke: Therewith he mured up his mouth along, And therein shut up his blasphemous tong, For never more defaming gentle Knight, Or unto lovely Lady doing wrong; And thereunto a great long chaine he tight, With which he drew him forth, even in his own despight.
Like as whylome that strong Tirynthian
swaine [hell, Brought forth with him the dreadfull dog of Against his will fast bound in yron chaine, And, roring horribly, did him compell To see the hatefull sunne, that he might tell To griesly Pluto what on earth was donne, And to the other damned ghosts which dwell For aye in darkenesse, which day-light doth shonne :
So led this Knight his captyve with like conquest wonne.
Yet greatly did the Beast repine at those
Straunge bands, whose 1ke till then he never
Ne ever any durst till then impose; [bore,
And chauffed inly, seeing now no more
Him liberty was left aloud to rore:
Yet durst he not draw backe, nor once with-
stand
The proved powre of noble Calidore,
But trembled underneath his mighty hand,
And like a fearefull dog him followed through
the land.
Him through all Faery land he follow'd so, As if he learned had obedience long, That all the people, where so he did go, Out of their townes did round about him throng, [strong; To see him leade that Beast in bondage And seeing it much wondred at the sight: And all such persons as he earst did wrong Rejoyced much to see his captive plight, And much admyr'd the Beast, but more admyr'd the Knight.
Thus was this Monster, by the maystring might
Of doughty Calidore, supprest and tamed,
That never more he mote endammadge wight
With his vile tongue, which many had defamed,
And many causelesse caused to be blamed.
So did he eeke long after this remaine,
Untill that, (whether wicked fate so framed
Or fault of men,) he broke his yron chaine,
And got into the world at liberty againe.
From blamefull blot, and free from all that wite With which some wicked tongues did it backebite,
Thenceforth more mischiefe and more scath And bring into a mighty Peres displeasure,
To mortall men then he had done before; Ne ever could, by any, more be brought Into like bands, ne maystred any more:
That never so deserved to endite. [measure, Therefore do you, my rimes, keep better And seeke to please; that now is counted wise mens threasure.
WHICH, BOTH FOR FORME AND MATTER, APPEARE TO BE PARCELL OF SOME
FOLLOWING BOOKE OF
So likewise did this Titanesse aspire
Rule and dominion to her selfe to gaine;
That as a Goddesse men might her admire,
And heavenly honors yield, as to them twaine:
And first, on earth she sought it to obtaine;
Where shee such proofe and sad examples
shewed
Of her great power, to many ones great paine,
That not men onely (whom she soone subdewed)
But eke all other creatures her bad dooings
rewed.
But first, here falleth fittest to unfold
Her antique race and linage ancient,
As I have found it registred of old
In Faery Land mongst records permanent.
She was, to weet, a daughter by descent
Of those old Titans that did whylome strive
With Saturnes sonne for heavens regiment; For she the face of earthly things so changed,
Whom though high Jove of kingdome did That all which Nature had establisht first
[vive: In good estate, and in meet order ranged,
Yet many of their stemme long after did sur-She did pervert, and all their statutes burst:
And all the worlds faire frame (which none
yet durst
Of Gods or men to alter or misguide)
She alter'd quite; and made them all accurst
That God had blest, and did at first provide
In that still happy state for ever to abide.
Ne shee the lawes of Nature onely brake,
But eke of Justice, and of Policie;
And wrong of right, and bad of good did make
And death for life exchanged foolishlie :
Since which all living wights have learn'd to
And all this world is woxen daily worse. [die,
O pittious worke of MUTABILITY,
By which we all are subject to that curse,
And death, instead of life, have sucked from
our Nurse!
Her to displace, and to her selfe to have gained The kingdome of the Night, and waters by her wained.
Boldly she bid the Goddesse downe descend,
And let her selfe into that Ivory throne;
For she her selfe more worthy thereof wend,
And better able it to guide alone;
Whether to men, whose fall she did bemone,
Or unto Gods, whose state she did maligne,
Or to th' infernall Powers her need give lone
Of her faire light and bounty most benigne,
And now, when all the earth she thus had Her selfe of all that rule she deemed most
And eke the Moones bright wagon still did
stand,
All beeing with so bold attempt amazed,
And on her uncouth habit and sterne looke
still gazed.
Mean-while the lower World, which nothing knew
Environd with tenne thousand starres around,
That duly her attended day and night;
And by her side there ran her Page, that hight
Vesper, whom we the Evening-starre intend;
That with his Torche, still twinkling like Of all that chaunced heere, was darkned quite;
[wend, And eke the heavens, and all the heavenly
Her lightened all the way where she should
And joy to weary wandring travailers did lend:
Of happy wights, now unpurvaid of light,
Were much afraid, and wondred at that sight;
Fearing least Chaos broken had his chaine,
And brought againe on them eternall night;
But chiefely Mercury, that next doth raigne,
Ran forth in haste unto the king of Gods to
plaine.
That when the hardy Titanesse beheld
The goodly building of her Palace bright,
Made of the heavens substance, and up-held
With thousand Crystall pillors of huge hight,
She gan to burne in her ambitious spright,
And t'envie her that in such glory raigned.
Eftsoones she cast by force and tortious might To Joves faire palace fixt in heavens hight;
All ran together with a great out-cry
The Heavens Herald staid not to reply,
But past away, his doings to relate
Unto his Lord; who now, in th' highest sky,
Was placed in his principall Estate,
With all the Gods about him congregate:
To whom when Hermes had his message told,
It did them all exceedingly amate,
Ye may remember since th' Earths cursed seed
And to us all exceeding feare did breed,
Sought to assaile the heavens eternall towers,
But, how we then defeated all their deed,
Yee all do knowe, and them destroyed quite;
Yet not so quite, but that there did succeed
An off-spring of their bloud, which did alite
Upon the fruitfull earth, which doth us yet
despite.
Of that bad seed is this bold woman bred,
To thrust faire Phoebe from her silver bed,
That now with bold presumption doth aspire
And eke our selves from heavens high Empire,
Wherefore it now behoves us to advise
If that her might were match to her desire,
What way is best to drive her to retire,
Whether by open force, or counsell wise:
Areed, ye sonnes of God, as best as ye can de-
vise.'
So having said, he ceast; and with his brow (His black eye-brow, whose doomefull dreaded Is wont to wield the world unto his vow, [beck And even the highest Powers of heaven to check)
Made signe to them in their degrees to speake,
Who straight gan cast their counsell grave
and wise.
[nought did reck
Mean-while th' Earths daughter, thogh she
Of Hermes message, yet gan now advise
What course were best to take in this hot
bold emprize.
Eftsoones she thus resolv'd; that whil'st the (After returne of Hermes Embassie) Were troubled, and amongst themselves at [Gods Before they could new counsels re-allie, [ods, To set upon them in that extasie, [lend. And take what fortune, time, and place would So forth she rose, and through the purest sky To Joves high Palace straight cast to ascend, To prosecute her plot. Good on-set boads good end.
Shee there arriving boldly in did pass ; Where all the Gods she found in counsell close,
Save Jove; who, changing nought his count- All quite unarm'd, as then their manner was, 'nance bold, [unfold: At sight of her they suddaine all arose Did unto them at length these speeches wise In great amaze, ne wist what way to chose:
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