XXXI.

The Lyon there did with the Lamb confort,
And eke the Dove fate by the Faulcons fide;
Ne each of other feared fraud or tort,
But did in fafe fecurity abide,

Withouten peril of the ftronger pride:

But when the world wox old, it wox warre old (Whereof it hight) and having shortly tride The trains of wit, in wickedness wox bold, And dared of all fins the fecrets to unfold.

XXXII

Then beauty, which was made to represent
The great Creators own resemblance bright,
Unto abuse of lawless luft was lent,
And made the bait of beftial delight:

Then fair grew foul, and foul grew fair in fights
And that which wont to vanquish God and man,
Was made the vaffal of the victors might;
Then did her glorious flowre wex dead and wan,
Defpis'd and trodden down of all that over-ran,
XXXIII.

And now it is fo utterly decay'd,

That any bud thereof doth fcarce remain,
But if few plants (preferv'd through heavenly aid)
In Princefs court do hap to fprout again,
Dew'd with her drops of bounty foveraine,
Which from that goodly glorious flowre proceed,
Sprung of the ancient stock of Princes ftrain,
Now th'only remnant of that royal breed,
Whofe noble kind at first was fure of heavenly feed.
XXXIV.

Tho foon as day discover'd heavens face
To finful men with darkness over-dight,
This gentle crew 'gan from their eye-lids chace
The drowzie humour of the dampish night,
And did themselves unto their journey dight.
So forth they yode, and forward foftly paced,
That them to view had been an uncouth fight;
How all the way the Prince on foot-pace trac'd,
The Ladies both on horfe, together faft embrac'd.

XXXV.

Soon as they thence departed were afore,

That shameful Hag (the flander of her sex)
Them follow'd faft, and them reviled fore,

Him calling thief, them whores; that much did vex His noble heart: thereto fhe did annex

Falfe crimes and facts, fuch as they never meant,
That those two Ladies much afham'd did wex:
The more did fhe purfue her lewd intent,
And rail'd and rag'd, till fhe had all her poison spent.
XXXVI.

At last, when they were paffed out of fight,
Yet fhe did not her fpightful speech forbear,
But after them did bark, and still back-bite,
Though there were none her hateful words to hear:
Like as a cur doth felly bite and tear

The ftone, which paffed ftranger at him threw,
So fhe them feeing paft the reach of ear,
Against the stones and trees did rail anew,

Till he had dull'd the ftingwhich in her tongues endgrew
XXXVII.

They paffing forth, kept on their ready way,
With eafie fteps fo foft as foot could ftride,
Both for great feeblefs, which did oft affay
Fair Amoret, that scarcely she could ride;
And eke through heavy arms, which fore annoy'd
The Prince on foot, not wonted fo to fare:
Whose steady hand was fain his steed to guide,
And all the way from trotting hard to fpare,
So was his toil the more, the more that was his care.
XXXVIII.

At length they spide, where towards them with speed
A Squire came galloping, as he would fly;
Bearing a little Dwarf before his steed,

That all the way full loud for aid did cry,
That feem'd his fhrieks would rend the brafen sky:
Whom after did a mighty man pursue,
Riding upon a Dromedare on high,

Of ftature huge, and horrible of hue,

That would have maz'd a man his dreadful face to view

XXXIX.

For from his fearful eyes two fiery beams

More sharp than points of needles did proceed,
Shooting forth far away two flaming ftreams,
Full of fad powre, that poifnous bale did breed
To all that on him lookt without good heed,
And fecretly his enemies did flay:

Like as the Bafilifk, of ferpents feed,

From powreful eyes clofe venom doth convey Into the lookers heart, and killeth far away.

XL.

He all the way did rage at that fame Squire,
And after him full many threatnings threw,
With curfes vain in his avengeful ire:
But none of them (fo faft away he flew)
Him overtook, before he came in view.
Where, when he faw the Prince in armour bright,
He call'd to him aloud, his cafe to rew,

And rescue him through fuccour of his might,
From that his cruel foe, that him purfu'd in fight.
XLI.

Eftfoons the Prince took down thofe Ladies twain
From lofty fteed, and mounting in their stead
Came to that Squire, yet trembling every vein:
Of whom he 'gan enquire his caufe of dread;
Who as he 'gan the fame to him aread,
Lo, hard behind his back his foe was preft,
With dreadful weapon aimed at his head:
That unto death had doen him unredreft,
Had not the noble Prince his ready ftroke repreft.
XLII.

Who thrufting boldly 'twixt him and the blow,
The burden of the deadly brunt did bear
Upon his fhield; which lightly he did throw
Over his head, before the harm came near.
Nath lefs, it fell with fo defpiteous drear
And heavy fway, that hard unto his crown

The fhield it drove, and did the covering rear:
Therewith both Squire and Dwarf did tumble down,

Unto the earth, and lay long while in fenfelefs fwoun,

XLIII.

Whereat, the Prince full wrath, his ftrong right hand
In full avengement heaved up on high,
And ftrook the Pagan with his steely brand
So fore, that to his faddle-bow thereby
He bowed low, and fo awhile did lye:
And fure, had not his maffie iron mace
Betwixt him and his hurt been happily,
It would have cleft him to the girding place:
Yet as it was, it did aftonish him long space.
XLIV.

But when he to himself return'd again,

All full of rage he 'gan to curse and swear;
And vow by Maboun that he fhould be flain.
With that, his murdrous mace he up did rear,
That feemed nought the foufe thereof could bear,
And therewith fmote at him with all his might.
But ere that it to him approached near,

The royal child, with ready quick forefight, Did fhun the proof thereof, and it avoided light. XLV.

But ere his hand he could recoure again,
Toward his body from the baleful ftound,
He smote at him with all his might and main,
So furiously, that ere he wift, he found
His head before him tumbling on the ground.
The whiles, his babling tongue did yet blafpheme
And curfe his God, that did him fo confound;
The whiles his life ran forth in bloody ftream,
His foul defcended down into the Stygian rea'm.
XLVI.

Which when that Squire beheld, he wox full glad
To fee his foe breathe out his fpright in vain :
But that fame Dwarf right forry feem'd and fad,]
And howl'd aloud to fee his Lord there flain,
And rent his hair, and fcratcht his face for pain.
Then 'gan the Prince at leifure to inquire
Of all the accident, there hapned plain,

And what he was, whofe eyes did flame with fire; All which was thus to him declared by that Squire.

XLVII.

This mighty man, quoth he, whom you have flain,
Of an huge Giantess whylome was bred;
And by his ftrength, rule to himself did gain
Of many nations into thraldom led,

And mighty kingdoms of his force adred:
Whom yet he conquer'd not by bloody fight,
Ne hofts of men with banners brode diffpred,
But by the powre of his infectious fight,
With which he killed all that came within his might.
XLVIII.

Ne was he ever vanquished afore,

But ever vanquifht all with whom he fought :
Ne was there man fo ftrong but he down bore,
Ne woman yet fo fair, but he her brought
Unto his bay, and captived her thought.
For most of ftrength and beauty his defire
Was fpoil to make, and wafte them unto nought,
By cafting fecret flakes of luftful fire

From his falfe eyes, into their hearts and parts entire.
XLIX.

Therefore Corflambo was he call'd aright,

Though nameless there his body now doth lye,
Yet hath he left one daughter that is hight
The fair Paana; who feems outwardly

So fair as ever yet faw living eye:

And were her vertue like her beauty bright,
She were as fair as any under fky.

But (ah!) fhe given is to vain delight,

And eke too loofe of life, and eke of love too light. L.

So as it fell, there was a gentle Squire

That lov'd a Lady of high parentage;
But for his mean degree might not aspire
To match fo high: her friends with counsel fage,
Diffuaded her from fuch a difparage.

But the, whose heart to love was wholly lent,
Out of his hands could not redeem her gage,
But firmly following her firft intent,

Refoly'd with him to wend, 'gainft all her friends confent