Through all eftates he found that he had past,
In which he many maffacres had left,
And to the Clergy now was come at last;
In which fuch spoil, fuch havock, and fuch theft
He wrought, that thence all goodness he bereft,
That endless were to tell. The Elfin Knight,
Who now no place befides unfought had left,
At length into a monaftere did light,
Where he him found defpoiling all with main and might.
XXIV.
Into their cloysters now he broken had,
Through which the Monks he chafed here and there, And them purfu'd into their dortours fad, And fearched all their cells and fecrets near; In which, what filth and ordure did appear, Were irksome to report; Yet that foul Beast, Nought fparing them, the more did tofs and tear, And ranfack all their dens from moft to least, Regarding nought religion, nor their holy heast.
From thence, into the facred church he broke,
And robb'd the chancel, and the desks down threw,
And altars fouled, and blafphemy spoke;
And th'Images, for all their goodly hue,
Did caft to ground, whilft none was them to rue;
So all confounded and diforder'd there.
But feeing Calidore, away he flew,
Knowing his fatal hand by former fear;
But he him faft purfuing, foon approached near.
XXVI.
Him in a narrow place he overtook,
And fierce affailing, forc'd him turn again :
Sternly he turn'd again, when he him ftrook
With his sharp steel, and ran at him amain
With open mouth, that seemed to contain
A full good peck within the utmost brim,
All fet with iron teeth in ranges twain,
That terrifide his foes, and armed him,
Appearing like the mouth of Orcus, griefly grim.
And therein were a thousand tongues empight,
Of fundry kinds, and fundry quality:
Some were of Dogs, that barked day and night,
And fome of Cats, that wrawling ftill did cry:
And fome of Bears, that groynd continually
And fome of Tigers, that did feem to gren,
And fnarl at all, that ever paffed by:
But most of them were tongues of mortal men, Which spake reproachfully, not caring where nor when. XXVIII.
And them amongft, were mingled here and there,
The tongues of Serpents, with three-forked stings,
That fpat out poifon and gore bloody gere
At all that came within his ravenings,
And fpake licentious words and hateful things
Of good and bad alike, of low and high;
Ne Kefar fpared he a whit, nor Kings,
But either blotted them with infamy,
Or bit them with his baneful teeth of injury.
XXIX.
But Calidore, thereof no whit afraid,
Rencountred him with fo impetuous might,
That th'outrage of his violence he ftaid,
And beat aback, threatning in vain to bite,
And fpitting forth the poifon of his fpight,
That foamed all about his bloody jaws.
Tho rearing up his former feet on height,
He rampt upon him with his ravenous paws,
As if he would have rent him with his cruel claws.
XXX.
But he right well aware his rage to ward,
Did caft his fhield atween; and therewithall,
Putting his puiffance forth, purfu'd so hard,
That backward he enforced him to fall:
And being down, ere he new help could call,
His fhield he on him threw, and fast down held;
Like as a Bullock, that in bloody ftall
Of butchers baleful hand to ground is fell'd,
Is forcibly kept down, till he be throughly quell'd.
VOL. II.
Full cruelly the Beast did rage and rore,
To be down held, and maistered fo with might,
That he 'gan fret and foam out bloody gore,
Striving in vain to rear himself upright.
For ftill the more he ftrove, the more the Knight
Did him fupprefs, and forcibly fubdue;
That made him almoft mad for fell defpight.
He grind, he bit, he fcratcht, he venom threw,
And fared like a Fiend, right horrible in hue.
XXXII.
Or like the hell-born Hydra, which they feign
That great Alcides whylome overthrew,
After that he had labour'd long in vain,
To crop his thousand heads, the which still new
Forth budded, and in greater number grew.
Such was the fury of this hellish Beast,
Whilft Calidore him under, him down threw ;
Who nathemore his heavy load releaft:
But aye the more he rag'd, the more his powre increast.
XXXIII.
Tho when the Beast faw he mote nought avail
By force, he 'gan his hundred tongues apply,
And fharply at him to revile and rail,
With bitter terms of fhameful infamy;
Oft interlacing many a forged lie,
Whofe like he never once did fpeak nor hear
Nor ever thought thing fo unworthily :
Yet did he nought, for all that him forbear,
But ftrained him fo ftreightly, that he choakt him near.
XXXIV.
At laft, whenas he found his force to fhrink,
And rage to quail, he took a muzzel strong
Of furett iron, made with many a link;
Therewith he mured up his mouth along,
And therein fhut up his blafphemous tongue,
For never more defaming gentle Knight,
Or any lovely Lady doing wrong:
And thereunto a great long chain he tight,
With which he drew him forth, even in his own defpight.
Like as whylome that ftrong Tyrinthian swain,
Brought forth with him the dreadful Dog of hell,
Against his will faft bound in iron chain;
And roaring horribly, did him compell
To fee the hateful fun; that he might tell
To griefly Pluto, what on earth was done,
And to the other damned ghosts which dwell
For aye in darkness, which day-light doth shun:
So led this Knight his captive, with like conquest won.
XXXVI.
Yet greatly did the Beast repine at those
Strange bands, whofe like till then he never bore,
Ne ever any durft till then impofe,
And chaufed inly, feeing now no more
Him liberty was left aloud to roar:
Yet durft he not draw back; nor once withstand
The proved powre of noble Calidore,
But trembled underneath his mighty hand,
And like a fearful Dog him follow'd through the land.
XXXVII.
Him through all Fairy Land he follow'd fo,
As if he learned had obedience long,
That all the people wherefo he did go,
Out of their towns did round about him throng,
To fee him lead that Beast in bondage ftrong;
And feeing it, much wonder'd at the fight:
And all fuch perfons, as he earft did wrong,
Rejoyced much to fee his captive plight
And much admir'd the Beast, but more admir'd theKnight.
XXXVIII.
Thus was this monster by the maistring might
Of doughty Calidore, fuppreft and tam'd,
That never more he mote endamage wight
With his vile tongue, which many had defam'd,
And many caufelefs caufed to be blam'd:
So did he eke long after this remain,
Untill that (whether wicked fate fo fram'd,
Or fault of men) he broke his iron chain,
And got into the world at liberty again.
Thenceforth, more mischief and more scathe he wrought
To mortal men, than he had done before;
Ne ever could by any more be brought
Into like bands, ne maifter'd any more:
Albe that long time after Calidore,
The good Sir Pelleas him took in hand;
And after him, Sir Lamorack of yore,
And all his brethren born in Britain land;
Yet none of them could ever bring him into band.
XL.
So now he rangeth through the world again,
And rageth fore in each degree and state;
Ne any is that may him now restrain,
He growen is fo great and strong of late,
Barking, and biting all that him do bate,
Albe they worthy blame, or clear of crime:
Ne fpareth he most gentle wits to rate,
Ne fpareth he the gentle Poets rhime,
But rends without regard of perfon or of time.
XLI.
Ne may this homely verfe, of many meaneft,
Hope to escape his venomous defpight,
More than my former writs, all were they cleaneft
From blameful blot, and free from all that wite
With which fome wicked tongues did it backbite,
And bring into a mighty Peers displeasure,
That never fo deferved to endite.
Therefore do you my rhimes keep better measure, And feek to please, that now is counted wife mens treasure,
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