If not, leave unto me thy knights last patron-False traitour! miscreaunt! thou broken hast
The law of armes to strike foe undefide:
age.'
But thou thy treasons fruit, I hope, shalt taste
Right sowre, and feele the law the which thou

Have secrete powre t' appease inflamed rage: But full of anger fiersly to him cryde;

XXVII

Tho, turning to those brethren, thus bespoke: 'Ye warlike payre, whose valorous great might, It seemes, just wronges to vengeaunce doe provoke,

hast defast.'

thought

XXXII

[knight, With that his balefull speare he fiercely bent To wreake your wrath on this dead seeming Against the Pagans brest, and therewith Mote ought allay the storme of your despight, And settle patience in so furious heat? Not to debate the chalenge of your right, But for his carkas pardon I entreat, Whom fortune hath already laid in lowest seat.'

XXVIII

His cursed life out of her lodge have rent;
But ere the point arrived where it ought,
That seven fold shield, which he from Guyon
brought,

He cast between to ward the bitter stownd: Through all those foldes the steelehead passage wrought, To whom Cymochles said; 'For what art thou, [to ground That mak'st thy selfe his dayes-man, to prolong And through his shoulder perst; wherwith The vengeaunce prest? Or who shall let me He groveling fell, all gored in his gushing

wound.

XXXVI

Glad was the knight, and with fresh courage So stoutly he withstood their strong assay; When as againe he armed felt his hond: fraught, Till that at last, when he advantage spyde, His poynant speare he thrust with puissant Then like a Lyon, which hath long time saught [wyde, His robbed whelpes, and at the last them fond At proud Cymochles, whiles his shield was Emongst the shepeheard swaynes, then wexeth That through his thigh the mortall steele did wood and yond:

sway

gryde:

He, swarving with the force, within his flesh
Did breake the launce, and let the head abyde.
Out of the wound the red blood flowed fresh,
That underneath his feet soone made a purple
plesh.

As salvage Bull, whom two fierce mastives
When rancour doth with rage him once engore,
bayt,
Forgets with wary warde them to awayt,
But with his dreadfull hornes them drives afore,
Or flings aloft, or treades downe in the flore,
Beathing out wrath, and bellowing disdaine,

With that he strooke, and thother strooke That all the forest quakes to heare him rore: withall, [might: So rag'd Prince Arthur twixt his foemen

twaine,

XLIII

[sustaine.

That nothing seemd mote beare so monstrous
The one upon his covered shield did fall, [byte; That neither could his mightie puissaunce
And glauncing downe would not his owner
But thother did upon his troncheon smyte,
Which hewing quite asunder, further way
It made, and on his hacqueton did lyte,
The which dividing with importune sway,
It seizd in his right side, and there the dint
did stay.

XXXIX

Wyde was the wound, and a large lukewarme flood,

Red as the Rose, thence gushed grievously;
That when the Paynym spyde the streaming
blood,

Gave him great hart and hope of victory.
On th' other side, in huge perplexity
The Prince now stood, having his weapon broke;
Nought could he hurt, but still at warde did ly:
Yet with his troncheon he so rudely stroke
Cymochles twise, that twise him forst his foot
revoke.

XL

Whom when the Palmer saw in such distresse,
Sir Guyon's sword he lightly to him raught,
And said; Fayre Sonne, great God thy right
hand blesse,

To use that sword so well as he it ought!'

But ever at Pyrochles when he smitt,
|(Who Guyons shield cast ever him before,
Whereon the Faery Queenes pourtract was
writt,)

His hand relented and the stroke forbore,
And his deare hart the picture gan adore;
Which oft the Paynim sav'd from deadly

stowre:

[more; But him henceforth the same can save no For now arrived is his fatall howre, [powre. That no'te avoyded be by earthly skill or

XLIV

For when Cymochles saw the fowle reproch, Which them appeached, prickt with guiltie

shame

And inward griefe, he fiercely gan approch,
Resolv'd to put away that loathly blame,
Or dye with honour and desert of fame;
And on the haubergh stroke the Prince so sore,
That quite disparted all the linked frame,
And pierced to the skin, but bit no more;
Yet made him twise to reele, that never moov'd
afore.

CANTO IX.

The house of Temperance, in which
Doth sober Alma dwell,

Besiegd of many foes, whom straung

er knightes to flight compell.

Of all Gods workes which doe this worlde O! how great wonder would your thoughts

VI

Said Guyon, Noble Lord, what meed so
Or grace of earthly Prince so soveraine, [great,
But by your wondrous worth and warlike feat
Ye well may hope, and easely attaine?
But were your will her sold to entertaine,
And numbred be mongst knights of Mayden-
hed,

Great guerdon, well I wote, should you remaine,
And in her favor high bee reckoned,

As Arthegall and Sophy now beene honored.'

VII

'Certes,' (then said the Prince) 'I God avow, That sith I armes and knighthood first did plight,

They found the gates fast barred long ere night, And every loup fast lockt, as fearing foes despight.

XI

Which when they saw, they weened fowle
reproch

Was to them doen, their entraunce to forestall,
Till that the Squire gan nigher to approch,
And wind his horne under the castle wall,
That with the noise it shooke as it would fall.
Eftsoones forth looked from the highest spire
The watch, and lowd unto the knights did call,
To weete what they so rudely did require?
Who gently answered, They entraunce did
desire.

away,

XII

My whole desire hath beene, and yet is now, 'Fly fly, good knights,' (said he) 'fly fast To serve that Queene with al my powre and might. [light, If that your lives ye love, as meete ye should; Seven times the Sunne, with his lamp-burning Fly fast, and save your selves from neare deHath walkte about the world, and I no lesse, [ would: Sith of that Goddesse I have sought the sight, Here may ye not have entraunce, though we Yet no where can her find: such happinesse We would, and would againe, if that we Heven doth to me envy, and fortune favour-But thousand enemies about us rave, [could; lesse.'

cay;

And with long siege us in the castle hould.
Seven yeares this wize they us besieged have,
And many good knights slaine that have us
sought to save.'

XIII

Thus as he spoke, loe! with outragious cry
A thousand villeins rownd about them swarmd
Out of the rockes and caves adjoyning nye;
Vile caitive wretches, ragged, rude, deformd,
All threatning death, all in straunge manner
armd;
[speares,

Some with unweldy clubs, some with long
Some rusty knifes, some staves in fier warmd:
Sterne was their looke; like wild amazed
steares,

Staring with hollow eies, and stiffe upstanding
heares.

XIV

Fiersly at first those knights they did assayle,
And drove them to recoile; but when againe
They gave fresh charge, their forces gan to
Unhable their encounter to sustaine; [fayle,
For with such puissaunce and impetuous maine
Those Champions broke on them, that forst
them fly,
[swaine

Like scattered Sheepe, whenas the Shepherds
A Lyon and a Tigre doth espye, [forest nye.
With greedy pace forth rushing from the

XV

A while they fled, but soone retournd againe With greater fury then before was fownd;