XXIII.

So paffed we, till this young man us met;
And being mov'd with pity of my plight,
Spake as was meet, for ease of my regret :
Whereof befell what now is in your fight.
Now fure, then faid Sir Calidore, and right
Me feems, that him befell by his own fault :
Whoever thinks through confidence of might,
Or through support of count'nance proud and hault
To wrong the weaker, oft falls in his own affault.
XXIV.

Then turning back unto that gentle boy,
Which had himself fo ftoutly well acquit;
Seeing his face fo lovely ftern and coy,
And hearing th' anfwers of his pregnant wit,
He prais'd it much, and much admired it;
That fure he weend him born of noble blood,
With whom thofe graces did fo goodly fit:
And when he long had him beholding ftood,
He burst into these words, as to him feemed good.
XXV.

Fair gentle fwain, and yet as ftout as fair,

That in these woods amongst the Nymphs doft wonne,
Which daily may to thy fweet looks repair,
As they are wont unto Latonas son,
After his chafe on woody Cynthus done;
Well may I certes fuch an one thee read,
As by thy worth thou worthily haft won,
Or furely born of fome heroick fed,

That in thy face appears, and gracious goodlyhead.
XXVI.

But fhould it not difplease thee it to tell

(Unless thou in these woods thy felf conceal,
For love amongst the woody Gods to dwell;)
I would thy felf require thee to reveal,
For dear affection and unfeigned zeal
Which to thy noble perfonage I bear,
And with thee grow in worship and great weal.
For fince the day that arms I first did rear,
I never faw in any, greater hope appear.

XXVII.

To whom then thus the noble youth; May be
Sir Knight, that by discovering my estate,
Harm may arise unweeting unto me;
Nath'lefs, fith ye fo courteous feemed late,
To you I will not fear it to relate.
Then wote ye that I am a Briton born,
Son of a King, how ever thorough fate
Or fortune I my country have forlorn,

And loft the crown, which fhould my head by right adorn. XXVIII.

And Triftram is my name, the only heir

Of good King Meliogras, which did reign
In Cornwale, till that he through lifes defpair
Untimely dy'd, before I did attain

Ripe years of reason, my right to maintain.
After whofe death, his Brother seeing me
An infant, weak a kingdom to fuftain,
Upon him took the royal high degree,
And fent me, where him lift, inftructed for to be.
XXIX.

The Widow-Queen my mother, which then hight
Fair Emiline, conceiving then great fear
Of my frail fafety, refting in the might
Of him, that did the kingly fcepter bear,
Whose jealous dread induring not a peer,
Is wont to cut off all that doubt may breed,
Thought beft away me to remove fomewhere
Into fome foreign land, whereas no need

Of dreaded danger might his doubtful humour feed.
XXX.

So taking counfel of a wife man read,

She was by him adviz'd, to fend me quite Out of the country wherein I was bred, The which the fertile Lionefs is hight, Into the land of Fairy, where no wight Should weet of me, nor work me any wrong. To whofe wife read the hearkning fent me ftraight Into this land, where I have wond thus long, Since I was ten years old, now grown to ftature ftrong.

XXXI.

All which my days I have not lewdly spent,
Nor fpilt the bloffom of my tender years
In idlefs; but as was convenient,

Have trained been with many noble Feres,
In gentle thews, and fuch like feemly leres.
Mongft which, my moft delight hath always been
To hunt the falvage chace amongst my peres,
Of all that rangeth in the foreft green;

Of which none is to me unknown that ev'r was seen.
XXXII.

Ne is there Hawk which mantleth her on pearch,
Whether high towring, or accoafting low,
But I the measure of her flight do fearch,
And all her prey and all her diet know.
Such be our joys, which in these forefts grow,
Only the ufe of arms, which most I joy,
And fitteth moft for noble fwain to know,
I have not tasted yet, yet paft a boy,

And being now high time these strong joints to imploy.
XXXIII.

Therefore good Sir, fith now occafion fit

Doth fall, whofe like hereafter feldom may;
Let me this crave, unworthy though of it,
That ye will make me Squire without delay,
That from henceforth in battailous array

I may bear arms, and learn to use them right;
The rather fince that fortune hath this day
Given to me the fpoil of this dead Knight,
Thefe goodly gilden arms, which I have won in fight.
XXXIV.

All which, when well Sir Calidore had heard,

Him much more now, than earft he 'gan admire, For the rare hope which in his years appear'd, And thus replide; Fair child, the high defire To love of arms, which in you doth afpire, I may not certes without blame deny; But rather wifh, that fome more noble hire (Though none more noble than is chevalry) I had you to reward with greater dignity.

XXXV.

There him he caus'd to kneel, and made to fwear
Faith to his Knight, and truth to Ladies all;
And never to be recreant, for fear

Of peril, or of ought that might befall:
So he him dubbed, and his Squire did call.
Full glad and joyous then young Tristram grew,
Like as a flowre, whofe filken leavës fmall,

Long fhut up in the bud from heavens view, [hue. At length breaks forth, and brode difplayes his fmiling XXXVI.

Thus when they long had treated to and fro,
And Calidore betook him to depart,

Child Triftram prayd, that he with him might go
On his adventure; vowing not to start,
But wait on him in every place and part.
Whereat Sir Calidore did much delight,
And greatly joy'd at his fo noble heart,

In hope he fure would prove a doughty Knight:
Yet for the time this anfwer he to him behight.
XXXVII.

Glad would I furely be, thou courteous Squire,
To have thy prefence in my prefent queft,
That mote thy kindled courage fet on fire,
And flame forth honour in thy noble breast :
But I am bound by vow, which I profeft
To my dread Soveraine when I it affayd
That in atchievement of her high beheft,
I fhould no creature join unto mine aid,
Forthy I may not grant that ye fo greatly prayd.
XXXVIII.

But fince this Lady is all defolate,

And needeth fafeguard now upon her way,
Ye may do well in this her needful state
To fuccour her from danger of difmay;
That thankful guerdon may to you repay.
The noble Imp, of fuch new fervice fain,
It gladly did accept, as he did fay.

So taking courteous leave, they parted twain,
And Calidore forth paffed to his former pain.

XXXIX.

But Triftram, then despoiling that dead Knight
Of all thofe goodly implements of praise,
Long fed his greedy eyes with the fair fight
Of the bright metal, fhining like Sun rays;
Handling and turning them a thousand ways.
And after having them upon him dight,
He took that Lady, and her up did raise
Upon the steed of her own late dead Knight:
So with her marched forth, as fhe did him behight.
XL.

There to their fortune, leave we them awhile,
And turn we back to good Sir Calidore ;
Who ere he thence had traveld many a mile,
Came to the place, whereas ye heard afore,
This Knight, whom Triftram flew, had wounded fore
Another Knight in his defpiteous pride;

There he that Knight found lying on the flore,
With many wounds full perilous and wide,
That all his garments, and the grafs in vermeil dide.
XLI.

And there befide him fate upon the ground
His woeful Lady, piteously complaining
With loud laments that most unlucky ftound,
And her fad felf with careful hand conftraining
To wipe his wounds, and ease their bitter paining.
Which forry fight when Calidore did view

With heavy eyne, from tears uneath refraining,
His mighty heart their mournful cafe 'gan rue,
And for their better comfort to them nigher drew.
XLII.

Then speaking to the Lady, thus he said:

Ye doleful Dame, let not your grief empeach
To tell, what cruel hand hath thus arraid
This Knight unarm'd, with fo unknightly breach
Of arms, that if I yet him nigh may reach,
I may avenge him of fo foul defpight.
The Lady, hearing his fo courteous fpeech,
'Gan rear her eyes as to the chearful light,

And from her forry heart few heavy words forth figh't.