Therewith, fome other of the chiefeft thieves
Boldly him bade fuch injury forbear;
For that fame Maid, however it him grieves,
Should with the reft be fold before him there,
To make the prices of the reft more dear.
That with great rage he ftoutly doth denay;
And fiercely drawing forth his blade, doth fwear,
That whofo hardy hand on her doth lay,
It dearly fhall aby, and death for handsel pay.
Thus as they words amongst them multiply,
They fall to ftrokes, the fruit of too much talk:
And the mad fteel about doth fiercely fly,
Not fparing wight, ne leaving any balk,
But making way for death at large to walk;
Who in the horrour of the griefly night,
In thousand dreadful fhapes doth 'mongst them ftalk,
And makes huge havock, whiles the candle-light
Out quenched, leaves no skill nor difference of wight.
XVII.
Like as a fort of hungry Dogs ymet
About fome carcafs by the common way,
Do fall together, ftriving each to get
The greatest portion of the greedy prey;
All on confused heaps themselves affay,
And fnatch, and bite, and rend, and tug, and tear;
That who them fees, would wonder at their fray;
And who fees not, would be afraid to hear:
Such was the conflict of thofe cruel Brigants there.
XVIII.
But first of all, their captives they do kill,
Left they should join against the weaker fide,
Or rise against the remnant at their will,
Old Meliba is flain, and him befide
His aged wife, with many others wide:
But Coridon, efcaping craftily,
Creeps forth of doors, whilft darkness him doth hide,
And flies away as faft as he can hie,
Ne ftayeth leave to take, before his friends do die.
VOL. II.
But Paftorella, woeful wretched Elf,
Was by the Captain all this while defended :
Who minding more her fafety than himself,
His target always over her pretended;
By means whereof, that mote not be amended,
He at the length was flain, and laid on ground;
Yet holding faft 'twixt both his arms extended
Fair Paftorel, who with the self fame wound
Lanc'd through the arm, fell down with him in dreary
XX.
[fwound.
There lay fhe cover'd with confufed prease
Of carcaffes, which dying on her fell.
Tho whenas he was dead, the fray 'gan ceafe,
And each to other calling, did compell
To stay their cruel hands from flaughter fell,
Sith they that were the cause of all, were gone.
Thereto they all attonce agreed well,
And lighting candles new, 'gan fearch anone,
How many of their friends were flain, how many fone.
XXI.
Their Captain there they cruelly found kill'd,
And in his arms the dreary dying maid,
Like a sweet Angel 'twixt two clouds upheld:
Her lovely light was dimmed and decay'd,
With cloud of death upon her eyes display'd:
Yet did the cloud make ev'n that dimmed light
Seem much more lovely in that darkness lay'd,
And 'twixt the twinkling of her eye-lids bright,
To fpark out little beams, like ftars in foggy night,
XXII.
But when they mov'd the carcaffes afide,
They found that life did yet in her remain :
Then all their helps they bufily apply'd,
To call the foul back to her home again;
And wrought fo well with labour and long pain,
That they to life recover'd her at last.
Who fighing fore, as if her heart in twain
Had riven been, and all her heart-ftrings braft,
With dreary drooping eyn lookt up like one aghaft.
There the beheld, that fore her griev'd to fee,
Her father and her friends about her lying,
Her felf fole left, a fecond fpoil to be
Of those, that having faved her from dying,
Renew'd her death by timely death denying:
What now is left her but to wail and weep,
Wringing her hands, and ruefully loud crying?
Ne cared the her wound in tears to steep
Albe with all their might thofe Brigants her did keep.
XXIV.
But when they faw her now reviv'd again,
They left her fo, in charge of one the best
Of many worst, who with unkind difdain
And cruel rigour her did much moleft;
Scarce yielding her due food, or timely rest,
And fcarcely fuffring her infeftred wound,
That fore her pain'd, by any to be dreft.
So leave we her in wretched thraldom bound,
And turn we back to Calidore, where we him found.
XXV.
Who when he back returned from the wood,
And faw his fhepherds cottage fpoiled quite,
And his Love reft away, he wexed wood,
And half enraged at that rueful fight;
That ev'n his heart for very fell defpight,
And his own flefh he ready was to tear :
He chauft, he griev'd, he fretted, and he figh't,
And fared like a furious wild Bear,
Whose whelps are ftoln away, fhe being other-where.
XXVI.
Ne wight he found, to whom he might complain,
Ne wight he found of whom he might enquire;
That more increaft the anguifh of his pain.
He fought the woods; but no man could fee there:
He fought the plains; but could no tidings hear.
The woods did nought but ecchoes vain rebound;
The plains all waste and empty did appear:
Where wont the Shepherds oft their pipes refound, And feed an hundred flocks, there now not one he found.
At laft, as there he roamed up and down,
He chanc'd one coming towards him to fpy,
That feem'd to be fome forry fimple clown,
With ragged weeds, and locks up-staring high,
As if he did from fome late danger flie,
And yet his fear did follow him behind:
Who as he unto him approached nigh,
He mote perceive by figns, which he did find,
That Coridon it was, the filly Shepherds hind.
XXVIII.
Tho to him running faft, he did not stay
To greet him first, but afkt where were the rest;
Where Paftorel? who full of fresh difmay,
And gushing forth in tears, was so oppreft,
That he no word could fpeak, but fmit his breaft,
And up to heaven his eyes faft streaming threw.
Whereat the Knight amaz'd, yet did not reft,
But afkt again, what meant that rueful hue :
Where was his Paftorel? where all the other crew?
XXIX.
Ah well away, faid he then fighing fore,
That ever I did live, this day to fee,
This difmal day, and was not dead before,
Before I faw fair Paftorella die.
Die out alas then Calidore did cry;
How could the death dare ever her to quell ?
But read thou Shepherd, read what destiny,
Or other direful hap from heaven or hell
Hath wrought this wicked deed: Do fear away, and tell. XXX.
Tho when the Shepherd breathed had awhile,
He thus began: Where fhall I then commence
This woeful tale? or how thofe Brigants vile,
With cruel rage, and dreadful violence
Spoild all our cots, and carried us from hence ?
Or how fair Paftorel fhould have been fold
To merchants, but was fav'd with strong defence? Or how thofe thieves, whilft one fought her to hold, Fell all at odds, and fought through fury fierce and bold.
In that fame conflict (woe is me) befell
This fatal chaunce, this doleful accident,
Whose heavy tidings now I have to tell.
First all the captives which they here had hent,
Were by them flain by general confent;
Old Meliba, and his good wife withall
These eyes faw dye, and dearly did lament:
But when the lot to Paftorel did fall,
Their Captain long withstood, and did her death forstall.
XXXII.
But what could he 'gainst all them do alone?
It could not boot; needs mote she dye at last:
I only fcap'd through great confufion
Of cries and clamours which amongst them past,
In dreadful darknefs, dreadfully aghaft;
That better were with them to have been dead,
Than here to fee all defolate and wafte,
Defpoiled of those joys and jollyhead
Which with thofe gentle Shepherds here I wont to lead.
XXXIII.
When Calidore these rueful news had raught,
His heart quite deaded was with anguish great,
And all his wits with dool were nigh diftraught;
That he his face, his head, his breaft did beat,
And death it felf unto himself did threat;
Oft curfing th'heavens, that fo cruel were
To her, whofe name he often did repeat;
And wishing oft that he were present there,
When she was flain, or had been to her fuccour near.
XXXIV.
But after grief awhile had had his course,
And spent it felf in mourning, he at last
Began to mitigate his fwelling fource,
And in his mind with better reafon caft,
How he might fave her life, if life did laft;
Or if that dead, how he her death might wreak,
Sith otherwife he could not mend thing paft;
Or if it to revenge he were too weak,
Then for to dye with her, and his lifes thread to break.
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