The Faerie Queene

by Edmund Spenser

  And darkesome night he eke could turne to day:

  Huge hostes of men he could alone dismay,

  And hostes of men of meanest things could frame,

  When so him list his enimies to fray:

  That to this day for terror of his fame,

  The feends do quake, when any him to them does name.

  13 And sooth, men say that he was not the sonne

  Of mortall Syre, or other liuing wight,

  But wondrously begotten, and begonne

  By false illusion of a guilefull Spright,

  On a faire Ladie Nonne, that whilome hight

  Matilda, daughter to Pubidius,

  Who was the Lord of Mathrauall by right,

  And coosen vnto king Ambrosius:

  Whence he indued was with skill so maruellous.

  14 They here ariuing, staid a while without,

  Ne durst aduenture rashly in to wend,

  But of their first intent gan make new dout

  For dread of daunger, which it might portend:

  Vntill the hardie Mayd (with loue to trend)

  First entering, the dreadfull Mage there found

  Deepe busied bout worke of wondrous end,

  And writing strange characters in the ground,

  With which the stubborn feends he to his seruice bound.

  15 He nought was moued at their entrance bold:

  For of their comming well he wist afore,

  Yet list them bid their businesse to vnfold,

  As if ought in this world in secret store

  Were from him hidden, or vnknowne of yore.

  Then Glauce thus, let not it thee offend,

  That we thus rashly through thy darkesome dore,

  Vnwares haue prest: for either fatall end,

  Or other mightie cause vs two did hither send.

  16 He bad tell on; And then she thus began.

  Now haue three Moones with borrow’d brothers light,

  Thrice shined faire, and thrice seem’d dim and wan,

  Sith a sore euill, which this virgin bright

  Tormenteth, and doth plonge in dolefull plight,

  First rooting tooke; but what thing it mote bee,

  Or whence it sprong, I cannot read aright:

  But this I read, that but if remedee,

  Thou her afford, full shortly I her dead shall see.

  17 Therewith th’Enchaunter softly gan to smyle

  At her smooth speeches, weeting inly well,

  That she to him dissembled womanish guyle,

  And to her said, Beldame, by that ye tell,

  More need of leach-craft hath your Damozell,

  Then of my skill: who helpe may haue elsewhere,

  In vaine seekes wonders out of Magicke spell.

  Th’old woman wox half blanck, those words to heare;

  And yet was loth to let her purpose plaine appeare.

  18 And to him said, If any leaches skill,

  Or other learned meanes could haue redrest

  This my deare daughters deepe engraffed ill,

  Certes I should be loth thee to molest:

  But this sad euill, which doth her infest,

  Doth course of naturall cause farre exceed,

  And housed is within her hollow brest,

  That either seemes some cursed witches deed,

  Or euill spright, that in her doth such torment breed.

  19 The wisard could no lenger beare her bord,

  But brusting forth in laughter, to her sayd;

  Glauce, what needs this colourable word,

  To cloke the cause, that hath it selfe bewrayd?

  Ne ye faire Britomartis, thus arayd,

  More hidden are, then Sunne in cloudy vele;

  Whom thy good fortune, hauing fate obayd,

  Hath hither brought, for succour to appele:

  The which the powres to thee are pleased to reuele.

  20 The doubtfull Mayd, seeing her selfe descryde,

  Was all abasht, and her pure yuory

  Into a cleare Carnation suddeine dyde;

  As faire Aurora rising hastily,

  Doth by her blushing tell, that she did lye

  All night in old Tithonus frosen bed,

  Whereof she seemes ashamed inwardly.

  But her old Nourse was nought dishartened,

  But vauntage made of that, which Merlin had ared.

  21 And sayd, Sith then thou knowest all our griefe,

  (For what doest not thou know?) of grace I pray,

  Pitty our plaint, and yield vs meet reliefe.

  With that the Prophet still awhile did stay,

  And then his spirite thus gan forth display;

  Most noble Virgin, that by fatall lore

  Hast learn’ d to loue, let no whit thee dismay

  The hard begin, that meets thee in the dore,

  And with sharpe fits thy tender hart oppresseth sore.

  22 For so must all things excellent begin,

  And eke enrooted deepe must be that Tree,

  Whose big embodied braunches shall not lin,

  Till they to heauens bight forth stretched bee.

  For from thy wombe a famous Progenie

  Shall spring, out of the auncient Troian blood,

  Which shall reuiue the sleeping memorie

  Of those same antique Peres, the heauens brood,

  Which Greeke and Asian riuers stained with their blood.

  23 Renowmed kings, and sacred Emperours,

  Thy fruitfull Ofspring, shall from thee descend;

  Braue Captaines, and most mighty warriours,

  That shall their conquests through all lands extend,

  And their decayed kingdomes shall amend:

  The feeble Britons, broken with long warre,

  They shall vpreare, and mightily defend

  Against their forrein foe, that comes from farre,

  Till vniuersall peace compound all ciuill iarre.

  24 It was not, Britomart, thy wandring eye,

  Glauncing vnwares in charmed looking glas,

  But the streight course of heauenly destiny,

  Led with eternall prouidence, that has

  Guided thy glaunce, to bring his will to pas:

  Ne is thy fate, ne is thy fortune ill,

  To loue the prowest knight, that euer was.

  Therefore submit thy wayes vnto his will,

  And do by all dew meanes thy destiny fulfill.

  25 But read (said Glauce) thou Magitian

  What meanes shall she out seeke, or what wayes take?

  How shall she know, how shall she find the man?

  Or what needs her to toyle, sith fates can make

  Way for themselues, their purpose to partake?

  Then Merlin thus; Indeed the fates are firme,

  And may not shrinck, though all the world do shake:

  Yet ought mens good endeuours them confirme,

  And guide the heauenly causes to their constant terme.

  26 The man whom heauens haue ordaynd to bee

  The spouse of Britomart, is Arthegall:

  He wonneth in the land of Fayeree,

  Yet is no Fary borne, ne sib at all

  To Elfes, but sprong of seed terrestriall,

  And whilome by false Faries stolne away,

  Whiles yet in infant cradle he did crall;

  Ne other to himselfe is knowne this day,

  But that he by an Elfe was gotten of a Fay.

  27 But sooth he is the sonne of Gorlois,

  And brother vnto Cador Cornish king,

  And for his warlike feates renowmed is,

  From where the day out of the sea doth spring,

  Vntill the closure of the Euening.

  From thence, him firmely bound with faithfull band,

  To this his natiue soyle thou backe shalt bring,

  Strongly to aide his countrey, to withstand

  The powre of forrein Paynims, which inuade thy land.

  28 Great aid thereto his might
y puissaunce,

  And dreaded name shall giue in that sad day:

  Where also proofe of thy prow valiaunce

  Thou then shalt make, t’increase thy louers pray.

  Long time ye both in armes shall beare great sway,

  Till thy wombes burden thee from them do call,

  And his last fate him from thee take away,

  Too rathe cut off by practise criminall

  Of secret foes, that him shall make in mischiefe fall.

  29 With thee yet shall he leaue for memory

  Of his late puissaunce, his Image dead,

  That liuing him in all actiuity

  To thee shall represent. He from the head

  Of his coosin Constantius without dread

  Shall take the crowne, that was his fathers right,

  And therewith crowne himselfe in th’others stead:

  Then shall he issew forth with dreadfull might,

  Against his Saxon foes in bloudy field to fight,

  30 Like as a Lyon, that in drowsie caue

  Hath long time slept, himselfe so shall he shake,

  And comming forth, shall spred his banner braue

  Ouer the troubled South, that it shall make

  The warlike Mertians for feare to quake:

  Thrise shall he fight with them, and twise shall win,

  But the third time shall faire accordaunce make:

  And if he then with victorie can lin,

  He shall his dayes with peace bring to his earthly In.

  31 His sonne, hight Vortipore, shall him succeede

  In kingdome, but not in felicity;

  Yet shall he long time warre with happy speed,

  And with great honour many battels try:

  But at the last to th’importunity

  Of froward fortune shall be forst to yield.

  But his sonne Malgo shall full mightily

  Auenge his fathers losse, with speare and shield,

  And his proud foes discomfit in victorious field.

  32 Behold the man, and tell me Britomart,

  If ay more goodly creature thou didst see;

  How like a Gyaunt in each manly part

  Beares he himselfe with portly maiestee,

  That one of th’old Heroes seemes to bee:

  He the six Islands, comprouinciall

  In auncient times vnto great Britainee,

  Shall to the same reduce, and to him call

  Their sundry kings to do their homage seuerall.

  33 All which his sonne Careticus awhile

  Shall well defend, and Saxons powre suppresse,

  Vntill a straunger king from vnknowne soyle

  Arriuing, him with multitude oppresse;

  Great Gormond, hauing with huge mightinesse

  Ireland subdewd, and therein fixt his throne,

  Like a swift Otter, fell through emptinesse,

  Shall ouerswim the sea with many one

  Of his Norueyses, to assist the Britons fone.

  34 He in his furie all shall ouerrunne,

  And holy Church with faithlesse hands deface,

  That thy sad people vtterly fordonne,

  Shall to the vtmost mountaines fly apace:

  Was neuer so great wast in any place,

  Nor so fowle outrage doen by liuing men:

  For all thy Cities they shall sacke and race,

  And the greene grasse, that groweth, they shall bren,

  That euen the wild beast shall dy in starued den.

  35 Whiles thus thy Britons do in languour pine,

  Proud Etheldred shall from the North arise,

  Seruing th’ambitious will of Augustine,

  And passing Dee with hardy enterprise,

  Shall backe repulse the valiaunt Brockwell twise,

  And Bangor with massacred Martyrs fill;

  But the third time shall rew his foolhardise:

  For Cadwan pittying his peoples ill,

  Shall stoutly him defeat, and thousand Saxons kill.

  36 But after him, Cadwallin mightily

  On his sonne Edwin all those wrongs shall wreake;

  Ne shall auaile the wicked sorcery

  Of false Pellite, his purposes to breake,

  But him shall slay, and on a gallowes bleake

  Shall giue th’enchaunter his vnhappy hire

  Then shall the Britons, late dismayd and weake,

  From their long vassalage gin to respire,

  And on their Paynim foes auenge their ranckled ire.

  37 Ne shall he yet his wrath so mitigate,

  Till both the sonnes of Edwin he haue slaine,

  Offricke and Osricke, twinnes vnfortunate,

  Both slaine in battell vpon Layburne plaine,

  Together with the king of Louthiane,

  Hight Adin, and the king of Orkeny,

  Both ioynt partakers of their fatall paine:

  But Penda, fearefull of like desteny,

  Shall yield him selfe his liegeman, and sweare fealty.

  38 Him shall he make his fatall Instrument,

  T’afflict the other Saxons vnsubdewd;

  He marching forth with fury insolent

  Against the good king Oswald, who indewd

  With heauenly powre, and by Angels reskewd,

  All holding crosses in their hands on hye,

  Shall him defeate withouten bloud imbrewd:

  Of which, that field for endlesse memory,

  Shall Heuenfield be cald to all posterity.

  39 Whereat Cadwallin wroth, shall forth issew,

  And an huge hoste into Northumber lead,

  With which he godly Oswald shall subdew,

  And crowne with martyrdome his sacred head.

  Whose brother Oswin, daunted with like dread,

  With price of siluer shall his kingdome buy,

  And Penda, seeking him adowne to tread,

  Shall tread adowne, and do him fowly dye,

  But shall with gifts his Lord Cadwallin pacify.

  40 Then shall Cadwallin dye, and then the raine

  Of Britons eke with him attonce shall dye;

  Ne shall the good Cadwallader with paine,

  Or powre, be hable it to remedy,

  When the full time prefixt by destiny,

  Shalbe expird of Britons regiment.

  For heauen it selfe shall their successe enuy,

  And them with plagues and murrins pestilent

  Consume, till all their warlike puissaunce be spent.

  41 Yet after all these sorrowes, and huge hills

  Of dying people, during eight yeares space,

  Cadwallader not yielding to his ills,

  From Armoricke, where long in wretched cace

  He liu’d, returning to his natiue place,

  Shalbe by vision staid from his intent:

  For th’heauens haue decreed, to displace

  The Britons, for their sinnes dew punishment,

  And to the Saxons ouer-giue their gouernment.

  42 Then woe, and woe, and euerlasting woe,

  Be to the Briton babe, that shalbe borne,

  To liue in thraldome of his fathers foe;

  Late King, now captiue, late Lord, now forlorne,

  The worlds reproch, the cruell victours scorne,

  Banisht from Princely bowre to wastfull wood:

  O who shall helpe me to lament, and mourne

  The royall seed, the antique Troian blood,

  Whose Empire lenger here, then’euer any stood.

  43 The Damzell was full deepe empassioned,

  Both for his griefe, and for her peoples sake,

  Whose future woes so plaine he fashioned,

  And sighing sore, at length him thus bespake;

  Ah but will heauens fury neuer slake,

  Nor vengeaunce huge relent it selfe at last?

  Will not long misery late mercy make,

  But shall their name for euer be defast,

  And quite from of the earth their memory be rast?

&nbs
p; 44 Nay but the terme (said he) is limited,

  That in this thraldome Britons shall abide,

  And the iust reuolution measured,

  That they as Straungers shalbe notifide.

  For twise foure hundreth yeares shalbe supplide,

  Ere they to former rule restor’d shalbee,

  And their importune fates all satisfide:

  Yet during this their most obscuritee,

  Their beames shall oft breake forth, that men them faire may

  [see.

  45 For Rhodoricke, whose surname shalbe Great,

  Shall of him selfe a braue ensample shew,

  That Saxon kings his friendship shall intreat;

  And Howell Dha shall goodly well indew

  The saluage minds with skill of iust and trew;

  Then Griffith Conan also shall vp reare

  His dreaded head, and the old sparkes renew

  Of natiue courage, that his foes shall feare,

  Least backe againe the kingdome he from them should beare.

  46 Ne shall the Saxons selues all peaceably

  Enioy the crowne, which they from Britons wonne

  First ill, and after ruled wickedly:

  For ere two hundred yeares be full outronne,

  There shall a Rauen far from rising Sunne,

  With his wide wings vpon them fiercely fly,

  And bid his faithlesse chickens ouerronne

  The fruitfull plaines, and with fell cruelty,

  In their auenge, tread downe the victours surquedry.

  47 Yet shall a third both these, and thine subdew;

  There shall a Lyon from the sea-bord wood

  Of Neustria come roring, with a crew

  Of hungry whelpes, his battailous bold brood,

  Whose clawes were newly dipt in cruddy blood,

  That from the Daniske Tyrants head shall rend

  Th’vsurped crowne, as if that he were wood,

  And the spoile of the countrey conquered

  Emongst bis young ones shall diuide with bountyhed.

  48 Tho when the terme is full accomplishid,

  There shall a sparke of fire, which hath long-while

  Bene in his ashes raked vp, and hid,

  Be freshly kindled in the fruitfull Ile

  Of Mona, where it lurked in exile;

  Which shall breake forth into bright burning flame,

  And reach into the house, that beares the stile

  Of royall maiesty and soueraigne name;

  So shall the Briton bloud their crowne againe reclame.

  49 Thenceforth eternall vnion shall be made

  Betweene the nations different afore,

  And sacred Peace shall louingly perswade

  The warlike minds, to learne her goodly lore,

  And ciuile armes to exercise no more:

  Then shall a royall virgin raine, which shall

  Stretch her white rod ouer the Belgicke shore,

  And the great Castle smite so sore with all,