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VIII.

His will the fear'd; for him the furely thought
To be a man, fuch as indeed he feem'd;

And much the more, by that he lately wrought,
When her from deadly thraldome he redeem'd,
For which no fervice fhe too much esteem'd;
Yet dread of fhame, and doubt of foul difhonour,
Made her not yield fo much, as due fhe deem'd.
Yet Britomart attended duly on her,

As well became a Knight, and did to her all honour.
IX.

It fo befell one evening, that they came
Unto a castle, lodged there to be,

Where many a Knight, and many a lovely Dame
Was then affembled, deeds of arms to fee:
Amongst all which was none more fair than fhe,
That many of them mov'd to eye her fore.
The custom of that place was fuch, that he
Which had no Love nor Leman there in ftore,
Should either win him one, or lye without the door.
X.

Amongst the reft there was a jolly Knight,
Who being asked for his Love, avow'd
That fairelt Amoret was his by right,
And offred that to juftifie aloud.
The war-like virgin, feeing his fo-proud
And boastful challenge, wexed inly wroth,
But for the present did her anger shroud;
And faid, her Love to lose he was full loth,
But either he should neither of them have, or both.
XI.

So forth they went, and both together giusted;
But that fame younker foon was over-thrown,
And made repent, that he had rafhly lufted
For thing unlawful that was not his own:
Yet fince he seemed valiant, though unknown,
She that no less was courteous than ftout,
Caft how to falve, that both the custom shown
Were kept, and yet that Knight not locked out;
That feem'd full hard t'accord two things fo far in doubt.

XII.

The Seneschal was call'd to deem the right:
Whom the requir'd, that first fair Amoret
Might be to her allow'd, as to a Knight,
That did her win, and free from challenge fet:
Which straight to her was yielded without let.
Then fince that strange Knights Love from him was
She claim'd that to her felf, as Ladies debt, [quitted.
He as a Knight might juftly be admitted:

So none fhould be out-fhut, fince all of Loves were fitted.
XIII.

With that her gliftring helmet fhe unlac'd;

Which doft, her golden locks, that were up-bound
Still in a knot, unto her heels down trac'd,
And like a filken veil in compass round
About her back and all her body wound:
Like as the shining fky in fummers night,
What time the days with fcorching heat abound,
Is creafted all with lines of firy light,

That it prodigious feems in common peoples fight.
XIV.

Such when those Knights and Ladies all about
Beheld her, all were with amazement fmit,
And every one 'gan grow in fecret doubt
Of this and that according to each wit.
Some thought, that fome enchauntment feigned it:
Some, that Bellona in that warlike wife

To them appear'd, with fhield and armour fit;
Some that it was a mask of strange disguise:

So diverfly each one did fundry doubts devife.

XV.

But that young Knight, which through her gentle deed Was to that goodly fellowship reftor'd,

Ten thousand thanks did yield her for her meed,

And doubly overcomen, her ador'd:

So did they all their former ftrife accord;
And eke fair Amoret, now freed from fear,
More frank affection did to her afford,

And to her bed, which fhe was wont forbear,

Now freely drew, and found right fafe affurance there.

XVI.

Where all that night they of their Loves did treat,
And hard adventures 'twixt themfelves alone,
That each the other 'gan with passion great,
And grief-full pity privately be-mone.
The morrow next, fo foon as Titan fhone,
They both up-rofe, and to their ways them dight:
Long wandred they, yet never met with one
That to their wills could them direct aright,
Or to them tidings tell, that mote their hearts delight.
XVII.

pace,

Lo thus they rode, till at the laft they fpide
Two armed Knights, that toward them did
And each of them had riding by his fide
A Lady, feeming in fo far a fpace :
But Ladies none they were, albe in face
And outward fhew fair femblance they did bear;
For under mask of beauty and good grace,
Vile treafon and foul falfhood hidden were,
That mote to none but to the wary-wife appear.
XVIII.

The one of them, the falfe Duessa hight,

That now had chang'd her former wonted hue:
For fhe could don fo many fhapes in fight,
As ever could Cameleon colours new;

So could the forge all colours, fave the true.
The other, no whit better was than fhe,
But that fuch as fhe was, fhe plain did fhew;
Yet otherwife much worfe, if worse might be,
And daily more offenfive unto each degree.
XIX.

Her name was Atè, mother of debate,
And all diffention, which doth daily grow
Amongst frail men, that many a publick state
And many a private oft doth over-throw.
Her falfe Dueffa, who full well did know
To be moft fit to trouble noble Knights
Which hunt for honour, raised from below
Out of the dwellings of the damned fprights,
Where the in darkness waftes her curfed days and nights.

XX.

Hard by the gates of Hell her dwelling is,

There whereas all the plagues and harms abound,
Which punish wicked men, that walk amifs :
It is a darkfome delve far under ground,
With thorns and barren brakes environd round,
That none the fame may easily out-win;
Yet many ways to enter may be found,
But none to iffue forth when one is in:
For difcord harder is to end than to begin.

XXI.

And all within, the riven walls were hung,
With ragged monuments of times fore-paft;
All which the fad effects of difcord fung:
There were rent robes, and broken fcepters plac'd
Altars defil'd, and holy things defac❜d,
Difhiver'd fpears, and fhields ytorn in twain
Great cities ranfackt, and ftrong castles ras'd,
Nations captived, and huge armies flain :
Of all which ruins there fome reliques did remain.
XXII.

There was the fign of antique Babylon,

Of fatal Thebes, of Rome that reigned long,
Of facred Salem, and fad Ilion,

For memory of which, on high there hong
The golden apple (cause of all their wrong)
For which the three fair Goddeffes did ftrive:
There alfo was the name of Nimrod strong,
Of Alexander, and his Princes five,
Which fhar'd to them the spoils that he had
XXIII.

got alive.

And there the reliques of the drunken fray,
The which amongst the Lapithees befell,
And of the bloody feaft, which fent away
So many Centaurs drunken fouls to hell,
That under great Alcides fury fell:

And of the dreadful difcord, which did drive
The noble Argonauts to out-rage

fell,

That each of life fought others to deprive,

[ftrive.

All mindlefs of the golden-fleece, which made them

XXIV.

And eke of private perfons many moe,

That were too long a work to count them all; Some of fworn friends, that did their faith forgoe: Some of born brethren prov'd unnatural;

Some of dear lovers, foes perpetual :

Witness their broken bands there to be feen,
Their girlonds rent, their bowres defpoiled all ;'
The monuments whereof there bideing been,
As plain as at the first, when they were fresh and green.
XXV.

Such was her houfe within; but all without,
The barren ground was full of wicked weeds,
Which the her felf had fowen all about,
Now growen great, at firft of little feeds,
The feeds of evil words, and factious deeds;
Which when to ripenefs due they growen are,
Bring forth an infinite increafe, that breeds
Tumultuous trouble and contentious jar,
The which most often end in blood-fhed and in war.
XXVI.

And thofe fame curfed feeds do alfo ferve

To her for bread, and yield her living food:
For life it is to her, when others fterve

Through mischievous debate, and deadly feud,
That she may fuck their life, and drink their blood,
With which the from her childhood had been fed.
For fhe at firft was born of hellish brood,
And by infernal Furies nourished,

That by her monftrous fhape might eafily be read.
XXVII.

Her face moft foul and filthy was too fee,
With fquinted eyes contrary ways intended,
And loathly mouth, unmeet a mouth to be,
That nought but gall and venom comprehended,
And wicked words, that God and man offended:
Her lying tongue was in two parts divided,
And both the parts did fpeak, and both contended;
And as her tongue, fo was her heart difcided,
That never thought one thing, but doubly till was guided.

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