Her proud foote setting, at his head did levell. Weening at once her wrath on him to wreake And his contempt, that did her judg'ment
That none of all the many once did darre
Him to assault, nor once approach him nie;
But like a sort of sheepe dispersed farre
For dread of their devouring enemie,
Through all the fields and vallies did before
him flie.
As when a Beare hath seiz'd her cruell clawes
Uppon the carkasse of some beast too weake,
Proudly stands over, and a while doth pause
To heare the piteous beast pleading her plain- But when as daies faire shinie-beame, yclowd-
Whom when as Artegall in that distresse
By chaunce beheld, he left the bloudy slaugh-|
With fearefull shadowes of deformed night, Warn'd man and beast in quiet rest be shrowded,
Bold Radigund with sound of trumpe on hight, In which he swam, and ranne to his redresse: Causd all her people to surcease from fight; There her assayling fiercely fresh, he raught And gathering them unto her citties gate, [her; Made them all enter in before her sight;
Such an huge stroke, that it of sence distraught And all the wounded, and the weake in state, To be convayed in, ere she would once retrate.
And had she not it warded warily,
It had depriv'd her mother of a daughter:
Nathlesse for all the powre she did apply
It made her stagger oft, and stare with ghastly
What ever he shall like to doe or say.
Where that same Damzell lowdly him bespake, Goe streight, and take with thee to witnesse And shew'd that with his Lord she would Sixe of thy fellowes of the best array, [it And beare with you both wine and juncates fit, And bid him eate: henceforth he oft shall hungry sit.'
So he them streight conducted to his Lord;
Who, as he could, them goodly well did greete,
Till they had told their message word by word:
Which he accepting well, as he could weete,
Them fairely entertaynd with curt'sies meete,
And gave them gifts and things of deare
delight.
[feete;
The Damzell streight obayd, and putting all
In readinesse, forth to the Towne-gate went;
Where, sounding loud a Trumpet from the wall,
Unto those warlike Knights she warning sent.
Then Talus forth issuing from the tent
Unto the wall his way did fearelesse take,
To weeten what that trumpets sounding That he mote fresher be against the next
daies fight.
So backe againe they homeward turnd their ́
But Artegall him selfe to rest did dight,
She at the first encounter on him ran
With furious rage, as if she had intended
Out of his breast the very heart have rended:
But he, that had like tempests often tride,
From that first flaw him selfe right well de-
fended.
The more she rag'd, the more he did abide;
She hewd, she foynd, she lasht, she laid on
every side.
Yet still her blowes he bore, and her forbore,
Weening at last to win advantage new;
Yet still her crueltie increased more,
And, though powre faild, her courage did
Which fayling, he gan fiercely her pursew.
Like as a Smith that to his cunning feat
The stubborne mettall seeketh to subdew,
Soone as he feeles it mollifide with heat,
Having her thus disarmed of her shield,
Upon her helmet he againe her strooke,
That downe she fell upon the grassie field
In sencelesse swoune, as if her life forsooke,
And pangs of death her spirit overtooke.
Whom when he saw before his foote prostrated,
He to her lept with dead dreadfull looke,
And her sunshynie helmet soone unlaced,
Thinking at once both head and helmet to have
raced.
ac-But, when as he discovered had her face,
He saw, his senses straunge astonishment,
A miracle of natures goodly grace
In her faire visage voide of ornament,
But bath'd in bloud and sweat together ment;
Which in the rudenesse of that evill plight
With his great yron sledge doth strongly on Bewrayd the signes of feature excellent
Like as the Moone in foggie winters night Doth seeme to be her selfe, though darkned be her light.
At sight thereof his cruell minded hart
Empierced was with pittifull regard, [apart,
That his sharpe sword he threw from him
Cursing his hand that had that visage mard:
No hand so cruell, nor no hart so hard,
But ruth of beautie will it mollifie.
By this, upstarting from her swoune, she star'd
A while about her with confused eye;
Like one that from his dreame is waked sud-
denlye.
Soone as the knight she there by her did spy
Standing with emptie hands all weaponlesse,
And gan renew her former cruelnesse :
With fresh assault upon him she did fly,
And though he still retyr'd, yet nathelesse
With huge redoubled strokes she on him layd;
The more that he with meeke intreatie prayd
And more increast her outrage mercilesse,
Her wrathful hand from greedy vengeance to ¦
have stayd.
Like as a Puttocke having spyde in sight
A gentle Faulcon sitting on an hill, flight,
Whose other wing, now made unmeete for
Was lately broken by some fortune ill;
The foolish Kyte, led with licentious will,
Doth beat upon the gentle bird in vaine,
With many idle stoups her troubling still:
Even so did Radigund with bootlesse paine
Annoy this noble Knight, and sorely him
constraine.
That then all rule and reason they withstand
To purchase a licentious libertie:
But vertuous women wisely understand,
That they were borne to base humilitie,
Unlesse the heavens them lift to lawfull sove-
raintie.
And through her eyes like sudden lightning
flashed,
Decking her cheeke with a vermilion rose;
But soone she did her countenance compose,
And to her turning thus began againe :
This griefes deepe wound I would to thee
disclose,
[paine;
Thereto compelled through hart-murdring
But dread of shame my doubtfull lips doth
still restraine.'
Thus there long while continu'd Artegall,
Serving proud Radigund with true subjection,
How ever it his noble heart did gall
T'obay a womans tyrannous direction,
That might have had of life or death election:
But, having chosen, now he might not chaunge.
During which time the warlike Amazon,
Whose wandring fancie after lust did raunge,
Gan cast a secret liking to this captive That many hath with dread of death dismayd,
And dare even deathes most dreadfull face
behold?
Which long concealing in her covert brest,
She chaw'd the cud of lover's carefull plight;
Yet could it not so thoroughly digest,
Being fast fixed in her wounded spright,
But it tormented her both day and night:
Yet would she not thereto yeeld free accord
To serve the lowly vassall of her might,
And of her servant make her soverayne Lord:
So great her pride that she such basenesse
much abhord.
So much the greater still her anguish grew, Through stubborne handling of her love-sicke hart;
"Ah! my deare dread,' (said then the faith-
full Mayd)
[withhold,
Can dread of ought your dreadlesse hart
Say on, my soverayne Ladie, and be bold:
Doth not your handmayds life at your foot
Therewith much comforted she gan unfold
The cause of her conceived maladie,
As one that would confesse, yet faine would it
denie.
'Clarin,' (said she) 'thou seest yond Fayry
Knight,
Whom not my valour, but his owne brave mind
Subjected hath to my unequall might.
What right is it, that he should thraldome
find
For lending life to me, a wretch unkind,
That for such good him recompence with ill?
Therefore I cast how I may him unbind,
And by his freedome get his free goodwill;
Yet so, as bound to me he may continue still:
And still the more she strove it to subdew.
The more she still augmented her owne smart,
And wyder made the wound of th' hidden dart.
At last, when long she struggled had in vaine,
She gan to stoupe, and her proud mind convert
To meeke obeysance of loves mightie raine,
And him entreat for grace that had procur'd Bound unto me but not with such hard
Loe! here this ring, which shall thy warrant
With that she turn'd her head, as halfe And token true to old Eumenias,
To hide the blush which in her visage rose
From time to time, when thou it best shalt
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