But foon as the her fenfe recover'd had,
She fiercely towards him her felf 'gan dight,
Through vengeful wrath and 'fdeignful pride half mad:
For never had the fuffred fuch defpight,
But ere fhe could join hand with him to fight,
Her warlike maids about her flockt fo faft,
That they difparted them, maugre their might,
And with their troops did far afunder caft:
But 'mongst the reft the fight did until evening laft.
And every while that mighty iron man,
With his strange weapon, never wont in war,
Them forely vext, and courft, and overran,
And broke their bows, and did their fhooting mar,
That none of all the many once did dare
Him to affault, nor once approach him nigh.
But like a fort of fheep difperfed far
For dread of their devouring enemy,
Through all the fields and vallies did before him fly.
XLV.
But whenas days fair fhiny beam, yclouded
With fearful fhadows of deformed night,
Warn'd man and beast in quiet rest be shrouded,
Bold Radigund (with found of trump on height)
Caus'd all her people to furceafe from fight;
And gathering them unto her cities gate,
Made them all enter in before her fight,
And all the wounded, and the weak in ftate,
To be conveyed in, ere fhe would once retrate.
XLVI.
When thus the field was voided all away,
And all things quieted, the Elfin Knight
(Weary of toil and travel of that day)
Caus'd his pavilion to be richly pight
Before the city gate, in open fight;
Where he himself did reft in fafety,
Together with Sir Terpine all that night:
But Talus us'd in time of jeopardy
To keep a nighaly watch, for dread of treachery.
But Radigund full of heart-gnawing grief,
For the rebuke which fhe fuftain'd that day,
Could take no reft, ne would receive relief;
But toffed in her troublous mind, what way
She mote revenge that blot, which on her lay.
There the refolv'd, her felf in fingle fight
To try her fortune, and his force affay,
Rather than fee her people fpoiled quight,
As she had seen that day a difadventrous fight.
XLVIII.
She called forth to her a trusty maid,
Whom she thought fitteft for that business,
Her name was Clarind', and thus to her faid;
Go damzel quickly, do thy felf addrefs
To do the meffage, which I fhall exprefs.
Go thou unto that ftranger Fairy Knight,
Who yesterday drove us to fuch distress;
Tell, that to morrow I with him will fight,
And try in equal field, whether hath greater might.
XLIX.
But thefe conditions do to him propound,
That if I vanquish him, he fhall obey
My law, and ever to my lore be bound;
And fo will I, if me he vanquish may,
Whatever he shall like to do or fay:
Go ftraight, and take with thee to witness it,
Six of thy fellows of the beft array,
And bear with you both wine and juncates fit, And bid him eat; henceforth he oft shall hungry fit. L.
The damzel straight obeyed: and putting all
In readiness, forth to the town-gate went;
Where founding loud a trumpet from the wall,
Unto those warlike Knights fhe warning fent.
Then Talus, forth iffuing from the tent,
Unto the wall his way did fearless take,
To weeten what that trumpets founding meant:
Where that fame damzel loudly him befpake,
And fhew'd, that with his Lord fhe would emparlance
So he them ftraight conducted to his Lord;
Who as he could, them goodly well did greet,
Till they had told their meffage word by word:
Which he accepting well, as he could weet,
Them fairly entertain'd with court'fies meet,
And gave them gifts and things of dear delight.
So back again they homeward turn'd their feet.
But Arthegall himself to reft did dight,
That he mote fresher be against the next days fight.
Arthegal fights with Radigund,
And is fubdu'd by Guile:
He is by her emprifoned,
But wrought by Clarind's wile.
foon as day, forth drawing from the Eaft, Nights humid curtain from the heavens withdrew And early calling forth both man and beast, Commanded them their daily works renew, These noble warriors, mindful to purfue The last days purpose of their vowed fight, Themselves thereto prepar'd in order due:
The Knight, as beft was feeming for a Knight: And th' Amazon, as best it lik'd her felf to dight. II.
All in a camis light of purple filk
Woven upon with filver, fubtly wrought,
And quilted upon fatin white as milk,
Trailed with ribbands diverfly diftraught,
Like as the workman had their courses taught,
Which was short tucked for light motion
Up to her ham: but when the lift, it raught
Down to her loweft heel, and thereupon
She wore for her defence a mailed habergeon.
And on her legs fhe painted bufkins wore,
Bafted with bends of gold on every fide,
And mails between, and laced clofe afore:
Upon her thigh her fcimitar was tide,
With an embroidred belt of mickel pride;
And on her shoulder hung her fhield, bedeckt
Upon the bofs with ftones, that fhined wide,
As the fair Moon in her most full afpect,
That to the Moon it mote be like in each respect.
IV.
So forth fhe came out of the city gate,
With stately port and proud magnificence,
Guarded with many Damzels, that did wait
Upon her perfon for her fure defence,
Playing on fhaums and trumpets, that from hence
Their found did reach unto the heavens height.
So forth into the field fhe marched thence,
Where was a rich pavilion ready pight,
Her to receive, till time they fhould begin the fight.
Then forth came Arthegal out of his tent,
All arm'd to point, and firft the lifts did enter:
Soon after eke came fhe with fell intent,
And count'nance fierce, as having fully bent her,
That battles utmost trial to adventure.
The lifts were clofed faft, to bar the rout
From rudely preffing to the middle center;
Which in great heaps them circled all about,
Waiting how Fortune would refolve that dangerous doubt.
The trumpets founded, and the 'field began;
With bitter ftrokes it both began and ended.
She at the first encounter on him ran
With furious rage, as if fhe had intended
Out of his breaft the very heart have rended:
But he that had like tempefts often tride,
From that first flaw himself right well defended.
The more the rag'd, the more he did abide;
She hew'd, the foin'd, fhe lafht, the laid on every fide.
Yet still her blows he bore, and her forbore,
Weening at laft to win advantage new;
Yet ftill her cruelty encreafed more,
And though powre faild, her courage did accrue :
Which failing, he 'gan fiercely her purfue;
Like as a Smith that to his cunning feat
The stubborn metal feeketh to fubdue,
Soon as he feels it mollifide with heat,
With his great iron fledge doth strongly on it beat.
VIII.
So did Sir Arthegal upon her lay,
As if he had an iron anvil been,
That flakes of fire, bright as the funny ray,
Out of her steely arms were flashing seen,
That all on fire ye would her furely ween.
But with her fhield fo well her self she warded,
From the dread danger of his weapon keen,
That all that while her life fhe fafely guarded:
But he that help from her against her will discarded.
IX.
For with his trenchant blade at the next blow,
Half of her fhield he fhared quite away,
That half her fide it felf did naked fhow,
And thenceforth unto danger opend way.
Much was she moved with the mighty fway
Of that fad stroke, that half enrag'd the grew,
And like a greedy Bear unto her prey,
With her sharp scimetar at him fhe flew,
That glancing down his thigh, the purple blood forthdrew.
Thereat the 'gan to triumph with great boast,
And to upbraid that chance which him misfell,
As if the prize she gotten had almost,
With fpightful fpeeches fitting with her well;
That his great heart 'gan inwardly to fwell,
With indignation, at her vaunting vain,
And at her ftrook with puiffance fearful fell;
Yet with her fhield the warded it again,
That shatter'd all to pieces round about the plain
VOL. II.
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