Soone as the Carle from far the Prince espyde
Glistring in armes and warlike ornament,
His Beast he felly prickt on either syde,
And his mischievous bow full readie bent,
With which at him a cruell shaft he sent :
But he was warie, and it warded well
Upon his shield, that it no further went,
But to the ground the idle quarrell fell:
Then he another and another did expell.
But that lame Hag, still as abroad he strew
His wicked arrowes, gathered them againe,
And to him brought, fresh batteill to renew;
Which he espying cast her to restraine
From yielding succour to that cursed Swaine,
And her attaching thought her hands to tye;
That other Hag did far away espye
But soone as him dismounted on the plaine
Binding her sister, she to him ran hastily;
And catching hold of him, as downe he lent, Him backeward overthrew, and downe him stayd
With their rude handes and gryesly graplement;
Till that the villein, comming to their ayd, Upon him fell, and lode upon him layd: Full litle wanted but he had him slaine, And of the battell balefull end had made, Which to prevent the Prince his mortall speare Had not his gentle Squire beheld his paine, Soone to him raught, and fierce at him did And commen to his reskew, ere his bitter
And him so sore smott with his yron mace, So greatest and most glorious thing on That groveling to the ground he fell, and fild
May often need the helpe of weaker hand;
So feeble is mans state, and life unsound,
That in assuraunce it may never stand,
Tiil it dissolved be from earthly band.
Proofe be thou, Prince, the prowest man alyve,
And noblest borne of all in Britayne land;
Yet thee fierce Fortune did so nearely drive,
That, had not grace thee blest, thou shouldest
not survive.
The Squyre arriving fiercely in his armes Snatcht first the one, and then the other Jade, His chiefest letts and authors of his harmes, And them perforce withheld with threatned blade,
Least that his Lord they should behinde invade;
The whiles the Prince, prickt with reprochful
shame,
As one awakte out of long slombring shade,
Revivyng thought of glory and of fame,
United all his powres to purge him selfe from
blame.
Like as a fire, the which in hollow cave
Hath long bene underkept and down supprest,
With murmurous disdayne doth inly rave,
And grudge in so streight prison to be prest,
At last breakes forth with furious unrest,
And strives to mount unto his native seat;
All that did earst it hinder and molest, [heat,
Yt now devoures with flames and scorching
And carries into smoake with rage and horror
great.
So brave retourning, with his brandisht blade
He to the Carle him selfe agayn addrest,
And strooke at him so sternely, that he made
An open passage through his riven brest,
That halfe the steele behind his backe did rest;
Which drawing backe, he looked evermore
When the hart blood should gush out of his
chest,
Or his dead corse should fall upon the flore;
But his dead corse upon the flore fell nathe-
So mightely the Briton Prince him rouza
Out of his holde, and broke his caytive bands;
And as a Beare, whom angry curres have touzd,
Having off-shakt them and escapt their hands, Ne drop of blood appeared shed to bee,
Becomes more fell, and all that him withstands All were the wownd so wide and wonderous
Treads down and overthrowes. Now had the
Carle
Alighted from his Tigre, and his hands
Discharged of his bow and deadly quar❜le,
To seize upon his foe flatt lying on the marle.
Which now him turnd to disavantage deare;
For neither can he fly, nor other harme,
But trust unto his strength and manhood
meare,
Sith now he is far from his monstrous swarme,
And of his weapons did himselfe disarme.
The knight, yet wrothfull for his late disgrace,
Fiercely advaunst his valorous right arme,
That through his carcas one might playnly
Halfe in amaze with horror hideous,
And halfe in rage to be deluded thus,
Again through both the sides he strooke him
quight,
That made his spright to grone full piteous;
Yet nathemore forth fled his groning spright,
But freshly, as at first, prepard himselfe to
fight.
Thereat he smitten was with great affright,
And trembling terror did his hart apall;
Ne wist he what to thinke of that same sight,
Ne what to say, ne what to doe at all:
Thought to have mounted; but his feeble vaines
Him faild thereto, and served not his need, Through losse of blood which from his wounds did bleed,
That he began to faint, and life decay: But his good Squyre, him helping up with speed,
With stedfast hand upon his horse did stay,
Where many Groomes and Squyres ready were To take him from his steed full tenderly; And eke the fayrest Alma mett him there With balme, and wine, and costly spicery, To comfort him in his infirmity. Eftesoones shee causd him up to be convayd, And of his armes despoyled easily
In sumptuous bed shee made him to be layd; And led him to the Castle by the beaten And al the while his wounds were dressing by way. him stayd.
Now ginnes that goodly frame of Temper-On thother syde an hideous Rocke is pight
Of mightie Magnes stone, whose craggie clift Depending from on high, dreadfull to sight, Over the waves his rugged armes doth lift, And threatneth downe to throw his ragged rift On whoso cometh nigh; yet nigh it drawes All passengers, that none from it can shift: For, whiles they fly that Gulfes devouringjawes, They on this rock are rent, and sunck in helples wawes.'
On thother side they saw that perilous Rocke,
Threatning it selfe on them to ruinate,
On whose sharp cliftes the ribs of vessels broke;
And shivered ships, which had beene wrecked
Yet stuck with carkases exanimate [late,
Of such, as having all their substance spent
In wanton joyes and lustes intemperate,
Did afterwards make shipwrack violent
Both of their life and fame, for ever fowly blent.
Forthy this hight The Rocke of vile Reproch,
A daungerous and detestable place,
To which nor fish nor fowle did once approch,
But yelling Meawes, with Seagulles hoars and
bace,
And Cormoyraunts, with birds of ravenous race,
Which still sat waiting on that wastfull clift
For spoile of wretches, whose unhappy cace,
After lost credit and consumed thrift,
At last them driven hath to this despairefull
drift.
The Palmer, seeing them in safetie past,
Thus saide; Behold th' ensamples in our sights
Of lustfull luxurie and thriftlesse wast.
What now is left of miserable wightes,
'Yet well they seeme to him, that farre doth
Both faire and fruitfull, and the grownd dispred
With grassy greene of delectable hew;
And the tall trees with leaves appareled
Are deckt with blossoms dyde in white and red,
That mote the passengers thereto allure;
But whosoever once hath fastened
His foot thereon, may never it recure,
But wandreth evermore uncertein and unsure.
Amid th' Aegean sea long time did stray,
'As th' Isle of Delos whylome, men report,
Ne made for shipping any certeine port,
Till that Latona traveiling that way,
Flying from Junoes wrath and hard assay,
Of her fayre twins was there delivered,
Which afterwards did rule the night and day:
And for Apolloes temple highly herried.'
Thenceforth it firmely was established,
And passe on forward: so their way does ly,
They to him hearken, as beseemeth meete,
That one of those same Islands, which doe
fleet
Which spent their looser daies in leud delightes, In the wide sea, they needes must passen by,
But shame and sad reproch, here to be red
By these rent reliques, speaking their ill Which seemd so sweet and pleasaunt to the
Let all that live hereby be counselled [plightes?
To shunne Rocke of Reproch, and it as death That it would tempt a man to touchen there :
Upon the banck they sitting did espy
A daintie damsell dressing of her heare,
By whom a little skippet floting did appeare.
So forth they rowed; and that Ferryman With his stiffe oares did brush the sea so
She, them espying, loud to them can call,
Bidding them nigher draw unto the shore,
And therewith lowdly laught: But nathemore
For she had cause to busie them withall;
Would they once turne, but kept on as afore:
Which when she saw, she left her lockes un-
dight,
And running to her boat withouten ore,
From the departing land it launched light,
And after them did drive with all her power
and might.
"That may not bee,' said then the Ferryman,
Least wee unweeting hap to be fordonne:
For those same Islands, seeming now and than,
Are not firme land, nor any certein wonne,
Whom overtaking, she in merry sort
But stragling plots which to and fro doe ronne Them gan to bord, and purpose diversly;
In the wide waters: therefore are they hight Now faining dalliaunce and wanton sport,
The Wandring Islands. Therefore doe them Now throwing forth lewd wordes immodestly;
shonne;
[wight Till that the Palmer gan full bitterly
For they have ofte drawne many a wandring Her to rebuke for being loose and light:
Into most deadly daunger and distressed plight. Which not abiding, but more scornfully
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