DUTTON AND WENTWORTH'S

Steam Press.

THE SECOND BOOK

OF

THE FAERIE QUEENE

CONTAYNING

THE LEGEND OF SIR GUYON, OR OF TEMPERAUNCE.

CANTO VII.

Guyon findes Mammon in a delve,'
Sunning his threasure hore;
Is by him tempted, and led downe

To see his secrete store.

I.

As pilot well expert in perilous wave,

That to a stedfast starre his course hath bent,
When foggy mistes or cloudy tempests have
The faithfull light of that faire lampe yblent,2
And cover'd heaven with hideous dreriment 3;
Upon his card and compas firmes his eye,

1 Delve, cave.
2 Yblent, obscured.

3 Dreriment, darkness.

Firmes, firmly fixes.

The maysters of his long experiment,

And to them does the steddy helme apply, Bidding his winged vessell fairely forward fly:

II.

So Guyon having lost his trustie Guyde,
Late left beyond that Ydle Lake, proceedes
Yet on his way, of none accompanyde;
And evermore himselfe with comfort feedes
Of his own vertues and praise-worthie deedes.
So, long he yode,1 yet no adventure found,
Which Fame of her shrill trompet worthy reedes 2:
For still he traveild through wide wastfull3 ground,
That nought but desert wildernesse shewd all around.

III.

At last he came unto a gloomy glade,

Cover'd with boughes and shrubs from heavens light,
Whereas he sitting found in secret shade
An uncouth, salvage, and uncivile Wight,
Of griesly hew and fowle ill-favour'd sight;

His face with smoke was tand, and eies were bleard,
His head and beard with sout 4 were ill bedight,5
His cole-blacke hands did seeme to have ben seard
In smythes fire-spitting forge, and nayles like clawes appeard.

IV.

His yron cote, all overgrowne with rust,

Was underneath enveloped with gold;

Whose glistring glosse, darkned with filthy dust,

Well yet appeared to have beene of old

I. 7.

1 Yode, went.

2 Reedes, deems.

3 Wastfull, uninhabited.

4 Sout, soot.

Ill bedight, disfigured.

The maysters of his long experiment.] His guides in the long voyage he is trying.

A worke of rich entayle1 and curious mould,
Woven with antickes2 and wyld ymagery:
And in his lap a masse of coyne he told,
And turned upside downe, to feede his eye
And covetous desire with his huge threasury.

V.

And round about him lay on every side

Great heapes of gold that never could be spent ;
Of which some were rude owre,3 not purifide
Of Mulcibers devouring element;

Some others were new driven, and distent 5
Into great ingowes and to wedges square;
Some in round plates withouten moniment 7:
But most were stampt, and in their metal bare
The antique shapes of kings and Kesars straung and rare.

VI.

Soone as he Guyon saw, in great affright

And haste he rose for to remove aside

Those pretious hils from straungers envious sight,
And downe them poured through an hole full wide
Into the hollow earth, them there to hide :
But Guyon, lightly to him leaping, stayd
His hand that trembled as one terrifyde;

And though himselfe were at the sight dismayd,

8

Yet him perforce restraynd, and to him doubtfull sayd;

VII.

"What art thou, Man, (if man at all thou art,)
That here in desert hast thine habitaunce,9
And these rich hils of welth doest hide apart

1 Entayle, inlay; intaglio.

2 Antickes, fantastic figures.

3 Oure, ore.

4 Of, by.

5 Distent, beaten out.

Ingowes, ingots.

7 Moniment, stamp.

8 Doubtfull, fearful.

9 Habitaunce, dwelling.

From the worldes eye, and from her right usaunce?"
Thereat, with staring eyes fixed askaunce,

In great disdaine he answerd; "Hardy Elfe,
That darest view my direful countenaunce!
I read thee rash and heedlesse of thyselfe,
To trouble my still seate and heapes of pretious pelse.

VIII.

"God of the world and worldlings I me call,
Great Mammon, greatest god below the skye,

That of my plenty poure out unto all,
And unto none my graces do envýe:
Riches, renowme, and principality,

Honour, estate, and all this worldës good,

For which men swinck 2 and sweat incessantly,
Fro me do flow into an ample flood,

And in the hollow earth have their eternall brood.

IX.

"Wherefore if me thou deigne to serve and sew,3 At thy commaund lo! all these mountaines bee; Or if to thy great mind, or greedy vew,

All these may not suffise, there shall to thee

Ten times so much be nombred 4 francke and free." "Mammon," said he, "thy godheads vaunt is vaine, And idle offers of thy golden fee;

To them that covet such eye-glutting gaine Proffer thy giftes, and fitter servaunts entertaine.

X.

"Me ill besits, that in derdoing 6 armes

IX. 6.- Thy godheads vaunt.] The boast you make of your divinity.