And of their vital blood, the which was fhed
Into her pregnant bofom, forth fhe brought
The fruitfull Vine; whofe liquor bloody red,
Having the minds of men with fury fraught,
Mote in them stir up old rebellious thought,
To make new war againft the Gods again:
Such is the powre of that fame fruit, that nought
The fell contagion may thereof restrain;
Ne within reafons rule, her madding mood contain.
XII.
There did the warlike Maid herself repose,
Under the wings of Isis all that night;
And with sweet reft her heavy eyes did clofe,
After that long days toil and weary plight.
Where whilft her earthly parts with foft delight
Of fenfeless fleep did deeply drowned lie,
There did appear unto her heavenly spright
A wondrous vifion, which did close imply
The course of all her fortune and posterity.
XIII.
Her feem'd as she was doing facrifize
To Ifis, deckt with mitre on her head,
And linnen ftole, after thofe Priestës guize,
All fuddainly fhe faw transfigured
Her linnen ftole to robe of scarlet red,
And moon-like mitre to a crown of gold;
That even fhe herself much wondered
At fuch a change, and joyed to behold
Her felf, adorn'd with gems and jewels manifold.
XIV.
And in the midst of her felicity,
An hideous tempeft feemed from below,
To rife through all the temple fuddainly,
That from the altar all about did blow
The holy fire, and all the embers strow
Upon the ground: which kindled privily,
Into outrageous flames unwares did grow,
That all the temple put in jeopardy
Of flaming, and her felf in great perplexity.
With that, the Crocodile, which fleeping lay
Under the Idols feet in fearless bowre,
Seem'd to awake in horrible dismay,
As being troubled with that ftormy flowre;
And gaping greedy wide did straight devour
Both flames and tempeft! with which growen great,
And fwoln with pride of his own peerless powre,
He 'gan to threaten her likewife to eat ;
But that the Goddefs with her rod him back did beat.
XVI.
Tho turning all his pride to humblefs meek,
Himself before her feet he lowly th rew,
And 'gan for grace and love of her to feek:
Which the accepting, he fo near her drew,
That of his game fhe foon emwombed grew,
And forth did bring a Lion of great might,
That fhortly did all other beafts fubdue,
With that the waked full of fearful fright,
And doubtfully difmayd through that fo uncouth fight.
XVII.
So thereupon long while fhe mufing lay,
With thoufand thoughts feeding her fantafy,
Untill the fpide the lamp of lightsome day,
Uplifted in the porch of heaven high.
Then up the rofe fraught with melancholy,
And forth into the lower parts did pass;
Whereas the Priefts the found full bufily
About their holy things for morrow mafs :
Whom the faluting fair, fair refaluted was.
XVIII.
But by the change of her unchearful look,
They might perceive fhe was not well in plight; Or that fome penfivenefs to heart fhe took. Therefore thus one of them (who feem'd in fight To be the greateft, and the graveft wight) To her befpake; Sir Knight, it seems to me, That thorough evil reft of this last night, Or ill apaid, or much difmayd ye be, That by your change of chear is eafie for to fee.
Certes faid fhe, fith ye fo well have spide
The troublous paffion of my penfive mind,
I will not feek the fame from you to hide,
But will my cares unfold, in hope to find
Your aid to guide me out of errour blind.
Say on quoth he the fecret of your heart:
For by the holy vow which me doth bind,
I am adjur'd beft counsel to impart
To all that fhall require my comfort in their fmart.
XX.
Then 'gan fhe to declare the whole difcourfe
Of all that vifion which to her appear'd,
As well as to her mind it had recourse.
All which when he unto the end had heard,
Like to a weak faint-hearted man he far'd,
Through great aftonishment of that strange fight;
And with long locks upftanding ftifly ftar'd,
Like one adawed with fome dreadful fpright:
So filld with heavenly fury, thus he her behight..
XXI.
Magnifick virgin, that in queint difguife
Of British arms doft mask thy royal blood,
So to purfue a perillous emprize,
How could't thou ween, through that disguised hood, To hide thy ftate from being understood? Can from th'immortal Gods ought hidden be? They do thy linage, and thy Lordly brood; They do thy Sire, lamenting fore for thee; They do thy Love, forlorn in womens thraldom fee.. XXII.
The end whereof, and all the long event,
They do to thee in this fame dream difcover.
For that fame Crocodile doth reprefent
The righteous Knight, that is thy faithfull Lover,
Like to Ofyris in all just endeavour,
For that fame Crocodile Ofyris is,
That under Ifis feet doth fleep for ever:
To fhew that clemence oft in things amis,
Reftrains thofe ftern beheits, and cruel dooms of his,
That Knight fhall all the troublous storms affuage,
And raging flames that many foes fhall rear,
To hinder thee from the just heritage
Of thy Sires crown, and from thy country dear.
Then shalt thou take him to thy loved Fere,
And join in equal portion of thy realm:
And afterwards a fon to him fhalt bear,
That Lion like fhall fhew his powre extream.
So bless thee God, and give thee joyance of thy dream.
XXIV.
All which when fhe unto the end had heard,
She much was eased in her troublous thought,
And on thofe Priests bestowed rich reward:
And royal gifts of gold and filver wrought,
She for a prefent to their Goddess brought.
Then taking leave of them, fhe forward went,
To feek her Love, where he was to be fought
Ne refted till fhe came without relent
Unto the land of Amazons, as fhe was beat.
XXV.
Whereof when news to Radigund was brought,
Not with amaze, as women wonted be,
She was confused in her troublous thought,
But filld with courage and with joyous glee,
As glad to hear of arms, the which now she
Had long furceaft, fhe bade to open bold,
That the the face of her new foe might fee.
But when they of that iron man had told,
Which late her folk had flain, fhe bade them forth to hold.
XXVI.
So there without the gate (as feemed best)
She caused her pavilion be pight;
In which ftout Britomart her felf did reft,
Whiles Talus watched at the door all night.
All night likewife they of the town in fright,
Upon their wall good watch and ward did keep.
The morrow next, fo foon as dawning light
Bade do away the damp of drouzy sleep,
The warlike Anazon out of her bowre did peep.
And caufed ftraight a trumpet loud to fhrill,
To warn her foe to battle foon be preft:
Who long before awoke (for fhe full ill
Could fleep all night, that in unquiet breast
Did closely harbour fuch a jealous gueft)
Was to the battle whylome ready dight.
Eftfoons that warriourefs with haughty creft
Did forth iffue all ready for the fight:
On th❜other fide her foe appeared foon in fight.
XXVIII.
But ere they reared hand, the Amazon
Began the ftreight conditions to propound,
With which the ufed ftill to tye her fone;
To ferve her fo, as fhe the reft had bound.
Which when the other heard, fhe fternly frownd
For high disdain of fuch indignity,
And would no longer treat, but bade them found,
For her no other terms fhould ever tie
Than what prefcribed were by laws of chevalrie.
XXIX.
The trumpets found, and they together run
With greedy rage, and with their faulchins fmote;
Ne either fought the others ftrokes to fhun,
But through great fury both their skill forgot,
And practick ufe in arms; ne fpared not
Their dainty parts, which nature had created
So fair and tender, without ftain or spot,
For other uses than they them tranflated;
Which they now hackt and hew'd, as if fuch ufe they hated.
XXX.
As when a Tiger and a Lionefs
Are met at spoiling of fome hungry prey,
Both challenge it with equal greediness:
But first the Tiger claws thereon did lay;
And therefore loth to loofe her right away,
Doth in defence thereof full ftoutly ftond:
To which the Lion ftrongly doth gainfay,
That the to hunt the beast first took in hond;
And therefore ought it have, wherever the it fond.
|