XL.

Likewife the earth is not augmented more,
By all that dying into it do fade.

For of the earth they formed were of yore;
However gay their bloffom or their blade
Do flourish now, they into duft fhall vade.
What wrong then is it, if that when they die,
They turn to that whereof they firft were made?
All in the powre of their great maker lie:
All creatures muft obey the voice of the moft High. `
XLI.

They live, they die, like as he doth ordain,
Ne ever any asketh reafon why.

The hills do not the lowly dales disdain;
The dales do not the lofty hills envy.
He maketh Kings to fit in foverainty;
He maketh fubjects to their powre obey;
He pulleth down, he fetteth up on high,
He gives to this, from that he takes away;
For all we have is his what he lift do, he may.
XLII.

Whatever thing is done, by him is done,
Ne any may his mighty will withstand;
Ne any may his foveraine power fhun,

Ne loose that he hath bound with ftedfast band.
In vain therefore doft thou now take in hand,
To call to count, or weigh his works anew,
Whofe counfels depth thou canst not understand,
Sith of things fubject to thy daily view

Thou doft not know the caufes, nor their courfes due.
XLIII.

For take thy ballance (if thou be so wife)

And weigh the wind that under heaven doth blow; Or weigh the light, that in the East doth rife Or weigh the thought, that from mans mind doth flow: But if the weight of these thou canst not show, Weigh but one word which from thy lips doth fall. For how canft thou thote greater fecrets know, That doft not know the leaft thing of them all? Ill can he rule the great, that cannot reach the Small.

XLIV.

Therewith the Giant much abashed said,
That he of little things made reckoning light;
Yet the leaft word that ever could be laid
Within his ballance, he could weigh aright.
Which is, faid he, more heavy than in weight,
The right or wrong, the falfe or elfe the true?
He answered, that he would try it ftraight.

So he the words into his ballance threw :

But straight the winged words out of the ballance flew.
XLV.

Wroth wext he then, and said that words were light,
Ne would within his ballance well abide.
But he could juftly weigh the wrong or right.
Well then, faid Arthegal, let it be tride.
First in one ballance fet the true afide.
He did fo firft, and then the falfe he laid
In th' other scale; but ftill it down did slide,
And by no means could in the weight be ftaid.
For by no means the falfe will with the truth be weighd.
XLVI.

Now take the right likewife, faid Arthegal,

And counterpeife the fame with fo much wrong.
So frft the right he put into one scale;
And then the Giant ftrove with puiffance ftrong
To fill the other fcale with fo much wrong.
But all the wrongs that he therein could lay,
Might not it peife; yet did he labour long,
And fwate, and chauft, and proved every way:
Yet all the wrongs could not a little right down lay.
XLVII.

Which when he faw, he greatly grew in rage,
And almoft would his ballances have broken:
But Arthegal him fairly 'gan affuage,
And faid; be not upon thy ballance wroken:
For they do nought but right or wrong betoken;
But in the mind the doom of right muft be;
And fo likewife of words, the which be fpoken,
The ear must be the ballance, to decree
And judge, whether with truth or falfhood they agree.

XLVIII.

But fet the truth, and fet the right aside
(For they with wrong or falfhood will not fare)
And put two wrongs together to be tride,
Or elfe two falfes, of each equal share;
And then together do them both compare;
For truth is one, and right is ever one.
So did he, and then plain it did appear,
Whether of them the greater were attone.
But right fate in the middeft of the beam alone.
XLIX.

But he the right from thence did thrust away,
For it was not the right which he did feek;
But rather strove extremities to weigh,
Th' one to diminish, th' other for to eke.
For of the mean he greatly did misleek.
Whom when fo lewdly-minded Talus found,
Approaching nigh unto him cheek by cheek,
He fhoulder'd him from off the higher ground,
And down the rock him throwing,in the fea him drown’d.

L.

Like as a Ship, whom cruel tempeft drives
Upon a rock with horrible difmay,

Her shatter'd ribs in thousand pieces rives,
And spoiling all her gears and goodly ray,
Does make her felf misfortunes piteous prey:
So down the cliff the wretched Giant tumbled;
His battred ballances in pieces lay,

His timber'd bones all broken rudely rumbled:
So was the high-afpyring with huge ruin humbled.
LI.

That when the people, which had thereabout
Long waited, faw his fudden defolation,
They 'gan to gather in tumultuous rout,
And mutining, to ftir up civil faction,
For certain lofs of fo great expectation.
For well they hoped to have got great good,
And wondrous riches by his innovation.
Therefore refolving to revenge his blood,
They rofe in arms, and all in battle order ftood.

LII.

Which lawless multitude him coming to
In warlike wife, when Arthegal did view,
He much was troubled, ne wift what to do.
For loth he was his noble hands t'embrue
In the base blood of fuch a rafcal crew:
And otherwife, if that he should retire,
He fear'd left they with fhame would him pursue,
Therefore he Talus to them fent, t'inquire
The cause of their array, and truce for to defire.
LIII.

But foon as they him nigh approaching fpide,
They 'gan with all their weapons him affay,
And rudely ftrook at him on every fide:

Yet nought they could him hurt, ne ought difmay.
But when at them he with his flail 'gan lay,
He like a fwarm of flies them overthrew

Ne any of them durft come in his way,
But here and there before his prefence flew,
And hid themselves in holes and bushes from his view.
LIV.

As when a Faulcon hath with nimble flight

Flown at a flush of Ducks, foreby the brook, The trembling fowl dismay'd with dreadful fight Of death, the which them almost over-took, Do hide themselves from her aftonying look, Amongst the flags and covert round about. When Talus faw they all the field forfook, And none appear'd of all that rafcal rout, To Arthegal he turn'd, and went with him throughout."

CANTO III.

The Jpoufals of fair Florimel,
Where turney many Knights:
There Braggadochio is uncas'd
In all the Ladies fights.

I.

After long ftorms and tempefts over-blown,

The Sun at length his joyous face doth clear: So whenas fortune all her fpight hath shown, .Some blifsful hours at laft muft needs appear; Elfe fhould afflicted wights ofttimes despair. So comes it now to Florimell by tourn, After long forrows fuffered whylear,

In which captiv'd fhe many months did mourn, To tafte of joy, and to wont pleasures to retourn. II.

Who being freed from Proteus cruel band
By Marinel, was unto him affide,

And by him brought again to Fairy land;
Where he her spous'd, and made his joyous bride.
The time and place was blazed far and wide;
And folemn feafts and giufts ordain'd therefore.
To which there did refort from every fide

Of Lords and Ladies infinite great store;
Ne any Knight was abfent that brave courage bore.
III.

To tell the glory of the feaft that day,

The goodly fervice, the deviceful fights,

The Bridegrooms ftate, the Bride's moft rich aray, The pride of Ladies, and the worth of Knights, The royal banquets, and the rare delights, Were work fit for an Herald, not for me: But for fo much as to my lot here lights, That with this prefent treatife doth agree, True vertue to advance, fhall here recounted be.