Ne ought the powre of mighty men did dread Each bone might through his body well be red
In their defence; nor would for gold or fee
Be wonne their rightfull causes downe to tread;
And, when they stood in most necessitee,
He did supply their want, and gave them ever
free.
There when the Elfin knight arrived was,
The first and chiefest of the seven, whose care
Was guests to welcome, towardes him did pas;
Where seeing Mercie, that his steps upbare
And alwaies led, to her with reverence rare
He humbly louted in meeke lowlinesse,
And seemely welcome for her did prepare:
For of their order she was Patronesse,
Albe Charissa were their chiefest founderesse.
There she awhile him stayes, himselfe to rest,
That to the rest more hable he might bee;
During which time, in every good behest,
And godly worke of Almes and charitee,
Shee him instructed with great industree.
Shortly therein so perfect he became,
That, from the first unto the last degree,
His mortall life he learned had to frame
In holy righteousnesse, without rebuke
blame.
And every sinew seene, through his long fast:
For nought he car'd his carcas long unfed;
His mind was full of spiritual repast, [chast.
And pyn'd his flesh to keepe his body low and
Who, when these two approching he aspide,
At their first presence grew agrieved sore,
That forst him lay his hevenly thoughts aside;
And had he not that Dame respected more,
Whom highly he did reverence and adore,
He would not once have moved for the knight.
They him saluted, standing far afore,
Who, well them greeting, humbly did requight,
And asked to what end they clomb that
tedious hight?
'What end,' (quoth she) should cause us
take such paine,
But that same end, which every living wight
Should make his marke high heaven to attaine?
Is not from hence the way, that leadeth right
To that most glorious house, that glistreth
bright
or With burning starres and everliving fire,
Whereof the keies are to thy hand behight
By wise Fidelia? Shee doth thee require,
To shew it to this knight, according his desire.'
Thence forward by that painfull way they pas
Forth to an hill that was both steepe and hy,
On top whereof a sacred chappell was,
And eke a litle Hermitage thereby,
Wherein an aged holy man did lie,
That day and night said his devotion,
Ne other worldly busines did apply:
His name was hevenly Contemplation;
Of God and goodnes was his meditation.
that old man to him given had;
Great grace
For God he often saw from heavens hight:
All were his earthly eien both blunt and bad,
And through great age had lost their kindly
sight,
[spright,
Yet wondrous quick and persaunt was his
As Eagles eie that can behold the Sunne.
That hill they scale with all their powre and
might,
That his fraile thighes, nigh weary and fordonne,
Gan faile; but by her helpe the top at last he
There they doe finde that godly aged Sire,
With snowy lockes adowne his shoulders shed;
As hoary frost with spangles doth attire
The mossy braunches of an Oke halfe ded.
Now are they Saints all in that Citty sam, That done, he leads him to the highest More dear unto their God then younglings to
Mount,
Such one as that same mighty man of God,
That blood-red billowes, like a walled front,
On either side disparted with his rod,
Till that his army dry-foot through them yod,
Dwelt forty daies upon; where, writt in stone
With bloody letters by the hand of God,
The bitter doome of death and balefull mone
He did receive, whiles flashing fire about him
'Till now,' said then the knight, 'I weened That great Cleopolis, where I have beene, well, In which that fairest Faery Queene doth dwell, The fairest citty was that might be seene; And that bright towre, all built of christall
'Thence she thee brought into this Faery lond,
And in an heaped furrow did thee hyde; Where thee a Ploughman all unweeting fond,
(Said he) and bitter battailes all are fought? As for loose loves, they are vaine, and vanish As he his toylesome teme that way did guy de, into nought.' And brought thee up in ploughmans state to byde,
Whereof Georgos he thee gave to name;
Till prickt with courage, and thy forces pryde,
And prove thy puissant armes, as seemes thee
To Faery court thou cam'st to seek for fame,
holy Sire!' (quoth he) 'how shall I quight The many favours I with thee have fownd, That hast my name and nation redd aright, And taught the way that does to heaven bownd!'
This saide, adowne he looked to the grownd
To have returnd; but dazed were his eyne Through passing brightnes, which did quite confound
His feeble sence, and too exceeding shyne. So darke are earthly thinges compard to things divine.
At last, whenas himselfe he gan to fynd, To Una back he cast him to retyre, Who him awaited still with pensive mynd. Great thankes, and goodly meed, to that good
He thens departing gave for his paynes hyre
So came to Una, who him joyd to see;
And, after litle rest, gan him desyre
Of her adventure myndfull for to bee.
So leave they take of Cælia and her daugh-
ters three.
Fayre Goddesse, lay that furious fitt asyde, Till I of warres and bloody Mars doe sing, And Bryton fieldes with Sarazin blood bedyde, Twixt that great faery Queene and Paynim king,
And pointing forth, ‘Lo! yonder is,' (said she)
The brasen towre, in which my parents deare
For dread of that huge feend emprisond be;
Whom I from far see on the walles appeare,
Whose sight my feeble soule doth greatly
And on the top of all I do espye [cheare: That with their horror heven and earth did ring;
The watchman wayting tydings glad to heare; A worke of labour long, and endlesse prayse:
That, (O my Parents!) might I happily But now a while lett downe that haughtie
Unto you bring, to ease you of your misery! string,
And to my tunes thy second tenor rayse,
That I this man of God his godly armes may
blaze.
With that they heard a roaringhideous sownd,
That all the ayre with terror filled wyde,
And seemd uneath to shake the stedfast ground.
Eftsoones that dreadful Dragon they espyde,
Where stretcht he lay upon the sunny side
Of a great hill, himselfe like a great hill:
But, all so soone as he from far descryde
Those glistring armes that heven with light As mountaine doth the valley overcaste.
[untill. Approching nigh, he reared high afore
He rousd himselfe full blyth, and hastned them His body monstrous, horrible, and vaste;
By this, the dreadful Beast drew nigh to
hand,
Halfe flying and halfe footing in his haste,
That with his largenesse measured much land,
And made wide shadow under his huge waste,
Which, to increase his wondrous greatnes more, That sight thereof bredd cold congealed feare; Was swoln with wrath and poyson, and with Which to increase, and all atonce to kill,
And over all with brasen scales was armd, Like plated cote of steele, so couched neare That nought mote perce; ne might his corse bee harmd
A cloud of smoothering smoke, and sulphure
Out of his stinking gorge forth steemed still, That all the ayre about with smoke and stench did fill.
blazing eyes, like two bright shining shieldes,
burne with wrath, and sparkled living fyre:
With dint of swerd, nor push of pointed speare:
Which as an Eagle, seeing pray appeare,
His aery plumes doth rouze, full rudely dight;
So shaked he, that horror was to heare:
For as the clashing of an Armor bright,
Such noyse his rouzed scales did send unto the Send forth their flames far off to every shyre,
As two broad Beacons, sett in open fieldes,
And warning give that enimies conspyre With fire and sword the region to invade : His flaggy winges, when forth he did display, So flam'd his eyne with rage and rancorous yre; Were like two sayles, in which the hollow But far within, as in a hollow glade, Those glaring lampes were sett that made a dreadfull shade.
Is gathered full, and worketh speedy way:
And eke the pennes, that did his pineons bynd,
Were like mayne-yardes with flying canvas
lynd;
With which whenas him list the ayre to beat,
And there by force unwonted passage fynd,
The cloudes before him fledd for terror great,
And all the hevens stood still amazed with his
So dreadfuny he towardes him did pas,
Forelifting up a-loft his speckled brest,
And often bounding on the brused gras,
As for great joyance of his newcome guest.
Eftsoones he gan advance his haughty crest,
As chauffed Bore his bristles doth upreare;
And shoke his scales to battaile ready drest,
That made the Redcrosse knight nigh quake
for feare,
As bidding bold defyaunce to his foeman
The knight gan fayrely couch his steady speare,
And fiersely ran at him with rigorous might:
The pointed steele, arriving rudely theare,
His harder hyde would nether perce nor
bight,
But, glauncing by, foorth passed forward right.
Yet sore amoved with so puissaunt push,
The wrathfull beast about him turned light,
And him so rudely, passing by, did brush
With his long tayle, that horse and man to
ground did rush.
Both horse and man up lightly rose againe,
And fresh encounter towardes him addrest;
But th' ydle stroke yet backe recoyld in vaine,
And found no place his deadly point to rest.
Exceeding rage enflam'd the furious Beast,
To be avenged of so great despight;
For never felt his imperceable brest
So wondrous force from hand of living wight;
Yet had he prov'd the powre of many a puis-
sant knight.
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