'Now by my head,' (saide Guyon) 'much I So now he Guyon guydes an uncouth way Through woods and mountaines, till they came

And cryde, 'Mercie, Sir knight! and mercie,
Lord,

For mine offence and heedelesse hardiment,
That had almost committed crime abhord,
And with reprochfull shame mine honour
shent,

Whiles cursed steele against that badge I bent,

But wretched we, where ye have left your marke,
Must now anew begin like race to ronne.
God guide thee, Guyon, well to end thy warke,
And to the wished haven bring thy weary

barke!'

His errour; and, himselfe inclyning, sayd;
Ah! deare Sir Guyon, well becommeth you,
But me behoveth rather to upbrayd,
Whose hastie hand so far from reason strayd,
That almost it did haynous violence
On that fayre ymage of that heavenly Mayd,
'Palmer,' him answered the Redcrosse knight,
That decks and armes your shield with faire 'His be the praise that this atchiev'ment

defence:

[offence.'

wrought,

XXXIII

Your court'sie takes on you anothers dew Who made my hand the organ of his might:
More then goodwill to me attribute nought;
For all I did, I did but as I ought.
But you, faire Sir, whose pageant next ensewes,
Well mote yee thee, as well can wish your

XXIX

So beene they both at one, and doen upreare
Their bevers bright each other for to greet;
Goodly comportaunce each to other beare,
And entertaine themselves with court'sies meet.
Then said the Redcrosse knight; Now mote

I weet,

Sir Guyon, why with so fierce saliaunce,
And fell intent, ye did at earst me meet;
For sith I know your goodly governaunce,
Great cause, I weene, you guided, or some un-
couth chaunce.'

6

XXX

thought,

That home ye may report thrise happy newes;
For well ye worthy bene for worth and gentle

thewes.'

XXXIV

So courteous conge both did give and take, With right hands plighted, pledges of good will.

Then Guyon forward gan his voyage make
With his blacke Palmer, that him guided still:
Still he him guided over dale and hill,

His race with reason, and with words his will,
From fowle intemperaunce he ofte did stay,
And suffred not in wrath his hasty steps to
stray.

'Certes,' (said he) well mote I shame to tell And with his steedy staffe did point his way;
The fond encheason that me hither led.
A false infamous faitour late befell
Me for to meet, that seemed ill bested,
And playnd of grievous outrage, which he red
A knight had wrought against a Ladie gent;
Which to avenge he to this place me led,
Where you he made the marke of his intent,
And now is fled: foule shame him follow wher
he went!'

XXXI

So can he turne his earnest unto game, Through goodly handling and wise tem

peraunce.

By this his aged Guide in presence came;
Who, soone as on that knight his eye did
glaunce,

Eftsoones of him had perfect cognizaunce,
Sith him in Faery court he late avizd;

And sayd; 'Fayre sonne, God give you happy
chaunce,

XXXV

In this faire wize they traveild long yfere,
Through many hard assayes which did betide;
Of which he honour still away did beare,
And spred his glory through all countryes wide.
At last, as chaunst them by a forest side
To passe, for succour from the scorching ray,
They heard a ruefull voice, that dearnly cride
With percing shriekes and many a dolefull lay;
Which to attend awhile their forward steps
they stay.

XXXVI

'But if that carelesse hevens,' (quoth she)
'despise

The doome of just revenge, and take delight
To see sad pageaunts of mens miseries,

And that deare Crosse uppon your shield devizd, As bownd by them to live in lives despight, Wherewith above all knights ye goodly seeme Yet can they not warne death from wretched

With that a deadly shrieke she forth did throw
That through the wood re-echoed againe;
And after gave a grone so deepe and low
That seemd her tender heart was rent in twaine,
Or thrild with point of thorough-piercing
paine :

XLI

Besides them both, upon the soiled gras
The dead corse of an armed knight was spred,
Whose armour all with blood besprincled was;
His ruddy lips did smyle, and rosy red
Did paint his chearefull cheekes, yett being ded;
Seemd to have beene a goodly personage,
Now in his freshest flowre of lusty-hed,
Fitt to inflame faire Lady with loves rage,
But that fiers fate did crop the blossome of his
age.

XLII

Whom when the good Sir Guyon did behold, His hart gan wexe as starke as marble stone, And his fresh blood did frieze with fearefull cold,

That all his sences seemd berefte attone:

At last his mighty ghost gan deepe to grone,
As Lion, grudging in his great disdaine,
Mournes inwardly, and makes to him selfe

mone;

Til ruth and fraile affection did constraine
His stout courage to stoupe, and shew his in-
ward paine.

XLIII

Out of her gored wound the cruell steel As gentle Hynd, whose sides with cruell steele He lightly snatcht, and did the floodgate stop Through launched, forth her bleeding life does

With his faire garment; then gan softly feel" [feele, Her feeble pulse, to prove if any drop Of living blood yet in her veynes did hop:

raine, Whiles the sad pang approching shee does Braies out her latest breath, and up her eies Which when he felt to move, he hoped faire

doth seele.

XXXIX

Which when that warriour heard, dismounting
straict

From his tall steed, he rusht into the thick,
And soone arrived where that sad pourtraict
Of death and dolour lay, halfe dead, halfe
quick;

In whose white alabaster brest did stick
A cruell knife that made a griesly wownd,
From which forth gusht a stream of gore blood
thick,

That all her goodly garments staind arownd,
And into a deepe sanguine dide the grassy
grownd.

XL

Pitifull spectacle of deadly smart,
Beside a bubling fountaine low she lay,
Which shee increased with her bleeding hart,
And the cleane waves with purple gore did

ray:

Als in her lap a lovely babe did play
His cruell sport, in stead of sorrow dew;
For in her streaming blood he did embay
His litle hands, and tender joints embrew:
Pitifull spectacle, as ever eie did vew!

To call backe life to her forsaken shop.
So well he did her deadly wounds repaire,
That at the last shee gan to breath out living
aire.

XLVI

LI

The gentle knight her soone with carefull paine Him fortuned (hard fortune ye may ghesse)
Uplifted light, and softly did uphold:
To come,
where vile Acrasia does wonne;
Thrise he her reard, and thrise she sunck againe, Acrasia, a false enchaunteresse,
Till he his armes about her sides gan fold,
And to her said; Yet, if the stony cold
Have not all seized on your frozen hart,
Let one word fall that may your grief unfold,
And tell the secrete of your mortall smart:
He oft finds present helpe who does his griefe
impart.'

Was, (ay the while, that he is not so now!) My Lord, my love, my deare Lord, my deare love!

So long as hevens just with equall brow
Vouchsafed to behold us from above.
One day, when him high corage did emmove,
As wont ye knightes to seeke adventures wilde,
He pricked forth his puissant force to prove.
Me then he left enwombed of this childe,

That many errant knightes hath fowle fordonne;
Within a wandring Island, that doth ronne
And stray in perilous gulfe, her dwelling is.
Fayre Sir, if ever there ye travell, shonne
The cursed land where many wend amis,
And know it by the name: it hight the Bowre
of blis.

LII

'Her blis is all in pleasure, and delight, Wherewith she makes her lovers dronken mad; And then with words, and weedes, of wondrous might,

On them she workes her will to uses bad:
My liefest Lord she thus beguiled had;
For he was flesh: (all flesh doth frayltie breed)
Whom when I heard to beene so ill bestad,
Weake wretch, I wrapt myselfe in Palmers weed,
And cast to seek him forth through danger and
great dreed.

LIII

'Now had fayre Cynthia by even tournes Full measured three quarters of her yeare, And thrise three tymes had fild her crooked hornes,

Whenas my wombe her burdein would forbeare,
And bad me call Lucina to me neare.
Lucina came; a manchild forth I brought
The woods, the nymphes, my bowres, my mid-
wives, weare:

Hard help at need! So deare thee, babe, I bought;
Yet nought too dear I deemd, while so my deare
I sought.

LIV

Him so I sought; and so at last I fownd,
Where him that witch had thralled to her will,
In chaines of lust and lewde desyres ybownd,,
And so transformed from his former skill,
That me he knew not, nether his owne ill;
Till, through wise handling and faire govern-
I him recured to a better will,
[aunce,
Purged from drugs of fowle intemperaunce:
Then meanes I gan devise for his deliverance.

LV

'Which when the vile Enchaunteresse per

ceiv'd,

How that my Lord from her I would reprive, With cup thus charmd him parting she deceivd; "Sad verse, give death to him that death does "And losse of love to her that loves to live, [ give,

This luckles childe, whom thus ye see with" So soone as Bacchus with the Nymphe does

blood defild.

So parted we, and on our journey drive; [lincke!"

Till, coming to this well, he stoupt to drincke: Reserve her cause to her eternall doome; The charme fulfild, dead suddeinly he downe And, in the meane, vouchsafe her honorable did sincke.

CANTO II.

Babes bloody handes may not be clensd:
The face of golden Meane :
Her sisters, two Extremities,
Strive her to banish cleane.