LI.

When thou haft all this done then bring me news
Of his demean: thenceforth not like a Lover,
But like a rebell ftout I will him ufe.
For I refolve this fiege not to give over,
Till I the conqueft of my will recover.
So fhe departed, full of grief and 'sdain,
Which inly did to great impatience move her.
But the false maiden fhortly turn'd again
Unto the prifon, where her heart did thrall remain.
LII.

There all her fubtil nets she did unfold,
And all the engines of her wit display;
In which she meant him wareless to enfold,
And of his innocence to make her prey.
So cunningly she wrought her crafts affay,
That both her Lady, and herself withall,
And eke the Knight attonce she did betray:
But most the Knight, whom the with guileful cali
Did caft for to allure, into her trap to fall.
LIII.

As a bad nurse, which feigning to receive
In her own mouth the food meant for her child,
Withholds it to her felf, and doth deceive
The infant, fo for want of nour❜ture spoild:
Even fo Clarinda her own Dame beguil'd
And turn'd the truft, which was in her affide,
To feeding of her private fire, which boild
Her inward breast, and in her entrails fride
The more that she it fought to cover and to hide.
LIV.

For coming to this Knight, fhe purpose feign'd,
How earneft fuit fhe earft for him had made
Unto her Queen, his freedom to have gain'd;
But by no means could her thereto persuade :
But that inftead thereof, fhe fternly bade
His mifery to be augmented more,
And many iron bands on him to lade.
All which nath'lefs fhe for his love forbore:

So praying him t'accept hér fervice evermore.

LV.

And more than that, she promift that she would,
In cafe fhe might find favour in his eye,
Devize how to enlarge him out of hold.
The Fairy glad to gain his liberty,

'Gan yield great thanks for fuch her courtesy;
And with fair words (fit for the time and place)
To feed the humour of her malady,

Promift if she would free him from that cafe,

He would by all good means he might, deferve fuch grace.
LVI.

So daily he fair semblant did her fhew,
Yet never meant he in his noble mind,
To his own abfent Love to be untrue:
Ne ever did deceitful Clarind' find
In her false heart, his bondage to unbind;
But rather how fhe mote him fafter tye.
Therefore unto her mistress most unkind
She daily told, her love he did defy;
And him she told, her Dame his freedom did deny.
LVII.

Yet thus much friendship fhe to him did show,

That his fcarce diet fomewhat was amended,
And his work leffen'd, that his love mote grow:
Yet to her Dame him still she discommended,
That she with him mote be the more offended,
Thus he long while in thraldom there remaind,
Of both beloved well, but little friended;
Until his own true Love his freedom gain'd.
Which in another canto will be beft contain'd.

CANTO VI. ·

Talus brings news to Britomart,
Of Arthegals mishap :

She goes to feek him, Dolon meets,
Who Jeeks ber to entrap.

I.

ome men, I wote, will deem in Arthegall
Great weakness, and report of him much ill,
For yielding fo himself a wretched thrall,
To th'infolent command of womens will;
That all his former praise doth fouly spill.
But he the man, that fay or do fo dare,
Be well adviz'd, that he ftand ftedfaft ftill:
For never yet was wight fo well aware,
But he at firft or laft was trapt in womens fnare.

II.

Yet in the ftreightnefs of that captive state,
This gentle Knight himself fo well behav'd,
That notwithstanding all the fubtile bait,
With which thofe Amazons his love ftill crav'd,
To his own Love his loyalty he fav'd:
Whose character in th'Adamantine mould
Of his true heart fo firmly was engrav'd,

That no new loves impreffion ever could

Bereave it thence: fuck blot his honour blemish fhould.

III

Yet his own Love, the noble Britomart,

Scarce fo conceived in her jealous thought,
What time fad tidings of his baleful fmart
In womans bondage, Talus to her brought;
Brought in untimely hour, ere it was fought.
For after that the utmost date, affignd
For his return, fhe waited had for nought,
She 'gan to caft in her misdoubtful mind
A thousand fears, that love-fick fancies feign to find.

IV..

Sometimes the feared, left fome hard mishap
Had him misfaln in his adventrous quest;
Sometimes left his falfe foe did him entrap
In traytrous trayn, or had unwares oppreft :
But moft fhe did her troubled mind moleft,
And fecretly afflict with jealous fear,

Left fome new Love had him for her poffeft;
Yet loth fhe was, fince the no ill did hear,
To think of him fo ill: yet could she not forbear.

V.

One while fhe blam'd herself; another while
She him condemn'd, as truftlefs and untrue:
And then, her grief with errour to beguile,
She feign'd to count the time again anew,
As if before fhe had not counted true.

For hours, but days; for weeks that paffed were,
She told but months, to make them feem more few:
Yet when the reckned them still drawing near,
Each hour did feem a month, and every month a year.
VI.

But whenas yet fhe faw him not return,

She thought to fend fome one to feek him out;
But none the found fo fit to ferve that turn
As her own felf, to eafe her felf of doubt.
Now she deviz'd amongst the warlike rout
Of errant Knights, to feek her errant Knight;
And then again refolv'd to hunt him out
Amongst loofe Ladies, lapped in delight:

And then both Knights envide, and Ladies eke did fpight.

VII.

One day, whenas fhe long had fought for eafe
In every place, and every place thought beft,
Yet found no place, that could her liking please,
She to a window came, that open'd West.
Towards which coaft her Love his way addrest.
There looking forth, fhe in her heart did find
Many vain fancies, working her unreft;

And fent her winged thoughts, more fwift than wind, To bear unto her Love the meffage of her mind.

VIII.

There as fhe looked long, at laft she spide
One coming towards her with hafty speed:
Well weend the then, ere him fhe plain defcride,
That it was one fent from her Love indeed.
Who when he nigh approacht, fhe mote aread
That it was Talus, Arthegal his groom;

Whereat her heart was filld with hope and dread; Ne would fhe stay, till he in place could come, But ran to meet him forth, to know his tidings fome. IX.

E'en in the door him meeting, she begun;

And where is he thy Lord, and how far hence?
Declare attonce; and hath he loft or won?
The iron man, albe he wanted fenfe
And forrows feeling, yet with conscience
Of his ill news, did inly chill and quake,
And stood still mute, as one in great fufpence,
As if that by his filence he would make

Her rather read his meaning, than himself it spake.
X.

Till fhe again thus faid; Talus be bold,
And tell whatever it be good or bad,

That from thy tongue thy hearts intent doth hold.
To whom he thus at length, The tidings fad,
That I would hide, will needs I fee be r'ad.
My Lord (your Love) by hard mishap doth lie
In wretched bondage, woefully beftad.
Ay me, quoth fhe, what wicked destiny?
And is he vanquifht by his tyrant enemy?

Xİ.

Not by that tyrant, his intended foe';
But by a tyrannefs, he then replide,
That him captived hath in hapless woe.

Cease thou bad news-man: badly doft thou hide
Thy masters shame, in harlots bondage tide.
The reft my felf too readily can fpell.
With that in rage the turn'd from him afide
(Forcing in vain the reft to her to tell)
And to her chamber went like folitary cell.