CANTO VIII. Faire Virgin, to redeeme her deare, Brings Arthure to the fight: Who slayes the Gyaunt, wounds the Beast, I. Ay me, how many perils doe enfold The righteous man, to make him daily fall, So oft as he, through his own foolish pride Or weaknes, is to sinfull bands made thrall: Els should this Redcrosse Knight in bands have dyde, For whose deliverance she this Prince doth thether guyd. II. They sadly traveild thus, untill they came Nigh to a castle builded strong and hye: Then cryde the Dwarfe, "Lo! yonder is the same, Therefore, deare sir, your mightie powres assay.' From loftie steed, and badd the Ladie stay, 1 Acquite, deliver. III. So with his Squire, th' admirer of his might, IV. Was never wight that heard that shrilling sownd, V. The same before the Geaunts gate he blew, That all the castle quaked from the grownd, And every dore of free-will open flew. The Gyaunt selfe dismaied with that sownd, Where he with his Duessa dalliaunce fownd, In hast came rushing forth from inner bowre, With staring countenance sterne, as one astownd, And staggering steps, to weet 3 what suddein stowre Had wrought that horror strange, and dar'd his dreaded powre. 4 1 Warde, guard. 3 Weet, learn. 4 Stowre, danger. VI. And after him the proud Duessa came, VII. Therewith the Gyaunt buckled him to fight, It booted nought to thinke such thunderbolts to beare; VIII. Ne shame he thought to shonne so hideous might: Missing the marke of his misaymed sight, That three yardes deepe a furrow up did throw: And, trembling with strange feare, did like an erthquake show. VII. 9. 1 Creast, crest. 2 Maine, blow. - It booted nought, &c.] It was useless to think or attempt to sustain so heavy a blow. IX. As when almightie Iove, in wrathfull mood, And, shooting in the earth, castes up a mount of clay. X. 3 His boystrous club, so buried in the grownd, He could not rearen up againe so light, But that the Knight him at advantage fownd; And, whiles he strove his combred clubbe to quight Out of the earth, with blade all burning bright He smott off his left arme, which like a block Did fall to ground, depriv'd of native might; Large streames of blood out of the truncked stock Forth gushed, like fresh-water streame from riven rocke. - XI. Dismayed with so desperate deadly wound, And fill the fieldes with troublous bellowing: Food, vengeance. 2 Dreriment, terror. 3 Quight, disengage. Kindly, according to nature. XII. That when his deare Duessa heard, and saw Her dreadfull Beast; who, swolne with blood of late, Encountring fiers with single sword in hand; And twixt him and his Lord did like a bulwarke stand. XIII. The proud Duessa, full of wrathfull spight Enforst her purple Beast with all her might, Scorning the let3 of so unequall foe: But nathëmore 4 would that corageous Swayne XIV. Then tooke the angrie Witch her golden cup, 1 Stownd, misfortune. 2 Affronted, encountered. 4 Nathëmore, not the more. 5 Bale, misery. XIV. 1. Her golden cup.] "Having a golden cup in her hands, full of abominations."-REV, xvii. 4. |