XLVIII.

Vile Hag faid Scudamour, why doft thou lye?
And falfly feek'ft a vertuous wight to shame?
Fond Knight, faid fhe, the thing that with this eye
I saw, why should I doubt to tell the fame ?
Then tell, quoth Blandamour, and fear no blame,
Tell what thou faw'ft, maulgre who-fo it hears.
I faw quoth fhe, a ftranger Knight, whose name
I wote not well, but in his fhield he bears
(That well I wote) the heads of many broken fpears.

XLIX.

I saw him have your Amoret at will,

I faw him kifs, I faw him her embrace,
I saw him fleep with her all night his fill,
All many nights, and many by in place,
That prefent were to teftifie the cafe.

Which whenas Scudamour did hear, his heart
Was thrild with inward grief, as when in chace
The Parthian ftrikes a Stag with fhivering dart,
The beaft aftonifht ftands in middeft of his Imart.

L.

So ftood Sir Scudamour when this he heard ;
Ne word he had to fpeak for great dismay,
But lookt on Glaucë grim, who wox affear'd
Of outrage for the words which she heard fay,
Albe untrue fhe wift them by affay.
But Blandamour, whenas he did efpy

His change of chear, that anguish did bewray,
He wox full blith, as he had got thereby,
And 'gan thereat to triumph without victory.
LI.

Lo recreant, faid he, the fruitless end

Of thy vain boast, and spoil of Love mifgotten, Whereby the name of Knighthood thou doft fhend And all true lovers with difhonour blotten : All things not rooted well, will foon be rotten. Fie, fie, falfe Knight, then falfe Duessa cride, Unworthy life that Love with guile haft gotten 3 Be thou, where-ever thou do go or ride, Loathed of Ladies all, and of all Knights defide. VOL. II. B

LII.

But Scudamour (for paffing great defpight)

Staid not to answer, fcarcely did refrain,
But that in all thofe Knights and Ladies fight,
He for revenge had guiltless Glaucë slain :
But being past, he thus began amain;

Falle traytor Squire, falfe Squire of falfeft Knight, Why doth mine hand from thine avenge abstain, Whose Lord hath done my Love this foul despight? Why do I not it wreak on thee, now in my might? LIII.

Difcourteous, disloyal Britomart,

Untrue to God, and unto man unjust,
What vengeance due can equal thy defart,
That haft with fhameful spot of finful luft
Defil'd the pledge committed to thy truft?
Let ugly fhame, and endless infamy

Colour thy name with foul reproches ruft.
Yet thou falfe Squire his fault fhalt dear aby,
And with thy punishment his penance shalt supply.

LIV.

The aged Dame him seeing fo enrag'd,

Was dead with fear; nath'lefs as need requir'd,
His flaming fury fought to have affuag'd
With fober words, that fufferance defir'd,
Till time the trial of her truth expir'd:
And evermore fought Britomart to clear.
But he the more with furious rage was fir'd,
And thrice his hand to kill her did uprear,
And thrice he drew it back: fo did at laft forbear.

CANTO II.

Blandamour wins falfe Florimell,
Paridell for her frives,
They are accorded: Agapë
Doth lengthen her Sons lives,

Firebrand of hell, firft tin'd in Phlegeton,

By thousand Furies, and from thence out-thrown Into this world, to work confufion,

And fet it all on fire (by force unknown)

Is wicked Difcord; whofe fmall fparks, once blown, None but a God, or god-like man can flake; Such as was Orpheus, that when ftrife was grown Amongst those famous imps of Greece, did take His filver harp in hand, and fhortly friends them make. II.

Or fuch as that celeftial pfalmift was,

That when the wicked Fiend his Lord tormented,
With heavenly notes that did all other pass,
The outrage of his furious fit relented.

Such mufick is wife words with time concented,
To moderate stiff minds, difpos'd to ftrife:
Such as that prudent Roman well invented,
What time his people into parts did rive,
Them reconcil'd again, and to their homes did drive.
III.

Such us'd wife Glance to that wrathful Knight,
To calm the tempeft of his troubled thought:
Yet Blandamour, with terms of foul defpight,
And Paridell her fcorn'd, and fet at nought,
As old and crooked, and not good for ought.
Both they unwife, and warelefs of the evil,
That by themfelves, unto themselves is wrought,
Through that falfe Witch and that foul aged drevil
The one a Fiend, the other an incarnate Devil

IV.

With whom, as they thus rode accompanide,
They were encountred of a lufty Knight,
That had a goodly Lady by his fide,

To whom he made great dalliance and delight.
It was to weet the bold Sir Ferraugh hight,
He that from Braggadochio whilome reft
The fnowy Florimell, whofe beauty bright
Made him feem happy for fo glorious theft;
Yet was it in due trial but a wandring weft.

V.

Which whenas Blandamour (whofe fancy light
Was always flitting, as the wavering wind,
After each beauty that appear'd in fight)
Beheld, eftfoons it prickt his wanton mind
With fting of luft that reafons eye did blind,
That to Sir Paridell the fe words he fent;
Sir Knight, why ride ye dumpifh thus behind,
Since fo good fortune doth to you prefent
So fair a fpoil, to make you joyous merriment?
VI.

But Paridell, that had too late a trial

Of the bad iffue of his counsel vain,

Lift not to heark, but made this fair denial;
Laft turn was mine, well proved to my pain:
This now be yours, God fend you better gain.
Whofe fcoffed words he taking half in fcorn,
Fiercely forth prickt his fteed, as in difdain

Against that Knight, ere he him well could torne ; By means whereof, he hath him lightly over-borne. VII.

Who with the fuddain ftroke aftonifht fore,
Upon the ground awhile in flumber lay;
The whiles, his Love away the other bore,
And fhewing her, did Paridell upbray;
Lo fluggish Knight, the victors happy prey :
So fortune friends the bold. Whom Paridell
Seeing fo fair indeed (as he did fay)

His heart with fecret envy 'gan to fwell,

And inly grudge at him, that he had fped fo wel.

VIII.

Nath'lefs, proud man himself the other deem'd,
Having fo peerless paragon ygot.

For fure the faireft Florimell him feem'd,

To him was fallen for his happy lot,

Whose like alive on earth he weened not: Therefore he her did court, did ferve, did wooe, With humbleft fuit that he imagine mot, And all things did devife, and all things do, That might her Love prepare, and liking win thereto. IX.

She in regard thereof, him recompenst

With golden words, and goodly countenance, And fuch fond favours fparingly difpenft: Sometimes him bleffing with a light eye-glance, And coy looks tempring with loose dalliance; Some-times eftranging him in fterner wife, That having caft him in a foolish trance, He feemed brought to bed in paradife, And prov'd himself moft fool, in what he feem'd most wife. X.

So great a mistress of her art she was,

And perfectly practiz'd in womans craft,
That though therein himself he thought to pass,
And by his falfe allurements wylie draft,
Had thousand women of their Love beraft,
Yet now he was furpriz'd: for that false spright,
Which that fame Witch had in this form engraft,
Was fo expert in every fubtile flight,

That it could over-reach the wifeft earthly wight.
XI.

Yet he to her did daily fervice more,

And daily more deceived was thereby;
Yet Paridell him envied therefore,
'As feeming plac'd in fole felicity:
So blind is luft falfe colours to defcry.
But Atè foon difcovouring his defire,
And finding now fit opportunity

To ftir up ftrife, twixt love, and spite, and ire,
Did privily put coals unto his facrêt fire.