The ruefull story of Sir Paridell,
She was empassiond at that piteous act,
With zelous envy of Greekes cruell fact
Against that nation, from whose race of old
She heard that she was lineally extract: 340
For noble Britons sprong from Trojans bold,
And Troynovant was built of old Troyes ashes cold.
XXXIX
Then sighing soft awhile, at last she thus:
‘O lamentable fall of famous towne,
Which raignd so many yeares victorious, 345
And of all Asie bore the soveraine crowne,
In one sad night consumd and throwen downe!
What stony hart, that heares thy haplesse fate,
Is not empierst with deepe compassiowne,
And makes ensample of mans wretched state, 350
That floures so fresh at morne, and fades at evening late?
XL
‘Behold, sir, how your pitifull complaint
Hath fownd another partner of your payne:
For nothing may impresse so deare constraint,
As countries cause and commune foes disdayne. 355
But if it should not grieve you, backe agayne
To turne your course, I would to heare desyre
What to Aeneas fell; sith that men sayne
He was not in the cities wofull fyre
Consum’d, but did him selfe to safety retyre.’ 360
XLI
‘Anchyses sonne, begott of Venus fayre,’
Said he, ‘out of the flames for safegard fled,
And with a remnant did to sea repayre,
Where he through fatall errour long was led
Full many yeares, and weetlesse wandered 365
From shore to shore, emongst the Lybick sandes,
Ere rest he fownd. Much there he suffered,
And many perilles past in forreine landes,
To save his people sad from victours vengefull handes.
XLII
‘At last in Latium he did arryve, 370
Where he with cruell warre was entertaind
Of th’ inland folke, which sought him backe to drive,
Till he with old Latinus was constraind
To contract wedlock; (so the Fates ordaind;)
Wedlocke contract in blood, and eke in blood 375
Accomplished, that many deare complaind:
The rivall slaine, the victour, through the flood
Escaped hardly, hardly praisd his wedlock good.
XLIII
‘Yet after all, he victour did survive,
And with Latinus did the kingdom part. 380
But after, when both nations gan to strive,
Into their names the title to convart,
His sonne Iülus did from thence depart
With all the warlike youth of Trojans bloud,
And in Long Alba plast his throne apart, 385
Where faire it florished, and long time stoud,
Till Romulus, renewing it, to Rome remoud.’
XLIV
‘There, there,’ said Britomart, ‘a fresh appeard
The glory of the later world to spring,
And Troy againe out of her dust was reard, 390
To sitt in second seat of soveraine king
Of all the world under her governing.
But a third kingdom yet is to arise
Out of the Trojans scattered ofspring,
That, in all glory and great enterprise, 395
Both first and second Troy shall dare to equalise.
XLV
‘It Troynovant is hight, that with the waves
Of wealthy Thamis washed is along,
Upon whose stubborne neck, whereat he raves
With roring rage, and sore him selfe does throng, 400
That all men feare to tempt his billowes strong,
She fastned hath her foot, which standes so hy,
That it a wonder of the world is song
In forreine landes, and all which passen by,
Beholding it from farre, doe thinke it threates the skye. 405
XLVI
‘The Trojan Brute did first that citie fownd,
And Hygate made the meare thereof by west,
And Overt gate by north: that is the bownd
Toward the land; two rivers bownd the rest.
So huge a scope at first him seemed best, 410
To be the compasse of his kingdomes seat:
So huge a mind could not in lesser rest,
Ne in small meares containe his glory great,
That Albion had conquered first by warlike feat.’
XLVII
‘Ah! fairest lady knight,’ said Paridell, 415
‘Pardon, I pray, my heedlesse oversight,
Who had forgot that whylome I hard tell
From aged Mnemon; for my wits beene light.
Indeed he said (if I remember right)
That of the antique Trojan stocke there grew 420
Another plant, that raught to wondrous hight,
And far abroad his mightie braunches threw
Into the utmost angle of the world he knew.
XLVIII
‘For that same Brute, whom much he did advaunce
In all his speach, was Sylvius his sonne, 425
Whom having slain through luckles arrowes glaunce,
He fled for feare of that he had misdonne,
Or els for shame, so fowle reproch to shonne,
And with him ledd to sea an youthly trayne,
Where wearie wandring they long time did wonne, 430
And many fortunes prov’d in th’ ocean mayne,
And great adventures found, that now were long to sayne.
XLIX
‘At last by fatall course they drive were
Into an island spatious and brode,
The furthest north that did to them appeare: 435
Which, after rest, they seeking farre abrode,
Found it the fittest soyle for their abode,
Fruitfull of all thinges fitt for living foode,
But wholy waste and void of peoples trode,
Save an huge nation of the geaunts broode, 440
That fed on living flesh, and dronck mens vitall blood.
L
‘Whom he, through wearie wars and labours long,
Subdewd with losse of many Britons bold:
In which the great Goemagot of strong
Corineus, and Coulin of Debon old, 445
Were overthrowne and laide on th’ earth full cold,
Which quaked under their so hideous masse:
A famous history to bee enrold
In everlasting moniments of brasse,
That all the antique worthies merits far did passe. 450
LI
‘His worke great Troynovant, his worke is eke
Faire Lincolne, both renowmed far away,
That who from east to west will endlong seeke,
Cannot two fairer cities find this day,
Except Cleopolis: so heard I say 455
Old Mnemon. Therefore, sir, I greet you well,
Your countrey kin, and you entyrely pray
Of pardon for the strife which late befell
Betwixt us both unknowne.’ So ended Paridell.
LII
But all the while that he these speeches spent, 460
Upon his lips hong faire Dame Hellenore,
With vigilant regard and dew attent,
Fashioning worldes of fancies evermore
In her fraile witt, that now her quite forlore:
The whiles unwares away her wondring eye 465
And greedy eares her weake hart from her bore:
Which he perceiving, ever privily,
In speaking, many false belgardes at her let fly.
LIII
So long these knightes discoursed diversly
Of straunge affaires, and noble hardiment, 470
Which the
y had past with mickle jeopardy,
That now the humid night was farforth spent,
And hevenly lampes were halfendeale ybrent:
Which th’ old man seeing wel, who too long thought
Every discourse and every argument, 475
Which by the houres he measured, besought
Them go to rest. So all unto their bowres were brought.
Faerie Queene Detailed Table of Contents
Glossary for ‘The Faerie Queene’
Canto X
Paridell rapeth Hellenore:
Malbecco her poursewes:
Fynds emongst Satyres, whence with him
To turne she doth refuse.
I
THE MOROW next, so soone as Phœbus lamp
Bewrayed had the world with early light,
And fresh Aurora had the shady damp
Out of the goodly heven amoved quight,
Faire Britomart and that same Faery knight 5
Uprose, forth on their journey for to wend:
But Paridell complaynd, that his late fight
With Britomart so sore did him offend,
That ryde he could not, till his hurts he did amend.
II
So foorth they far’d, but he behind them stayd, 10
Maulgre his host, who grudged grivously
To house a guest that would be needes obayd,
And of his owne him left not liberty:
Might wanting measure moveth surquedry.
Two things he feared, but the third was death: 15
That fiers youngmans unruly maystery;
His money, which he lov’d as living breath;
And his faire wife, whom honest long he kept uneath.
III
But patience perforce, he must abie
What fortune and his fate on him will lay; 20
Fond is the feare that findes no remedie;
Yet warily he watcheth every way,
By which he feareth evill happen may:
So th’ evill thinkes by watching to prevent;
Ne doth he suffer her, nor night nor day, 25
Out of his sight her selfe once to absent.
So doth he punish her and eke himselfe torment.
IV
But Paridell kept better watch then hee,
A fit occasion for his turne to finde.
False Love, why do men say thou canst not see, 30
And in their foolish fancy feigne thee blinde,
That with thy charmes the sharpest sight doest binde,
And to thy will abuse? Thou walkest free,
And seest every secret of the minde;
Thou seest all, yet none at all sees thee; 35
All that is by the working of thy deitee.
V
So perfect in that art was Paridell,
That he Malbeccoes halfen eye did wyle;
His halfen eye he wiled wondrous well,
And Hellenors both eyes did eke beguyle, 40
Both eyes and hart attonce, during the whyle
That he there sojourned his woundes to heale;
That Cupid selfe, it seeing, close did smyle,
To weet how he her love away did steale,
And bad that none their joyous treason should reveale. 45
VI
The learned lover lost no time nor tyde,
That least avantage mote to him afford,
Yet bore so faire a sayle, that none espyde
His secret drift, till he her layd abord.
When so in open place and commune bord 50
He fortun’d her to meet, with commune speach
He courted her, yet bayted every word,
That his ungentle hoste n’ote him appeach
Of vile ungentlenesse, or hospitages breach.
VII
But when apart (if ever her apart) 55
He found, then his false engins fast he plyde,
And all the sleights unbosomd in his hart;
He sigh’d, he sobd, he swownd, he perdy dyde,
And cast himselfe on ground her fast besyde:
Tho, when againe he him bethought to live, 60
He wept, and wayld, and false laments belyde,
Saying, but if she mercie would him give,
That he mote algates dye, yet did his death forgive.
VIII
And otherwhyles with amorous delights
And pleasing toyes he would her entertaine, 65
Now singing sweetly, to surprize her sprights,
Now making layes of love and lovers paine,
Bransles, ballads, vierlayes, and verses vaine;
Oft purposes, oft riddles he devysd,
And thousands like, which flowed in his braine, 70
With which he fed her fancy, and entysd
To take to his new love, and leave her old despysd.
IX
And every where he might, and everie while,
He did her service dewtifull, and sewd
At hand with humble pride and pleasing guile, 75
So closely yet, that none but she it vewd,
Who well perceived all, and all indewd.
Thus finely did he his false nets dispred,
With which he many weake harts had subdewd
Of yore, and many had ylike misled: 80
What wonder then, if she were likewise carried?
X
No fort so fensible, no wals so strong,
But that continuall battery will rive,
Or daily siege, through dispurvayaunce long
And lacke of reskewes, will to parley drive; 85
And peece, that unto parley eare will give,
Will shortly yield it selfe, and will be made
The vassall of the victors will bylive:
That stratageme had oftentimes assayd
This crafty paramoure, and now it plaine displayd. 90
XI
For through his traines he her intrapped hath,
That she her love and hart hath wholy sold
To him, without regard of gaine or scath,
Or care of credite, or of husband old,
Whom she hath vow’d to dub a fayre cucquold. 95
Nought wants but time and place, which shortly shee
Devized hath, and to her lover told.
It pleased well: so well they both agree;
So readie rype to ill, ill wemens counsels bee.
XII
Darke was the evening, fit for lovers stealth, 100
When chaunst Malbecco busie be elsewhere,
She to his closet went, where all his wealth
Lay hid: thereof she countlesse summes did reare,
The which she meant away with her to beare;
The rest she fyr’d for sport, or for despight; 105
As Hellene, when she saw aloft appeare
The Trojane flames, and reach to hevens hight,
Did clap her hands, and joyed at that dolefull sight.
XIII
This second Helene, fayre Dame Hellenore,
The whiles her husband ran with sory haste, 110
To quench the flames which she had tyn’d before,
Laught at his foolish labour spent in waste,
And ran into her lovers armes right fast;
Where streight embraced, she to him did cry
And call alowd for helpe, ere helpe were past, 115
For lo! that guest did beare her forcibly,
And meant to ravish her, that rather had to dy.
XIV
The wretched man, hearing her call for ayd,
And ready seeing him with her to fly,
In his disquiet mind was much dismayd: 120
But when againe he backeward cast his eye,
And saw the wicked fire so furiously
Consume his hart, and scorch his idoles face,
He was therewith distressed diversely,
Ne wist he how to turne, nor to what place: 125
Was never wretched m
an in such a wofull cace.
XV
Ay when to him she cryde, to her he turnd,
And left the fire; love money overcame:
But when he marked how his money burnd,
He left his wife; money did love disclame: 130
Both was he loth to loose his loved dame,
And loth to leave his liefest pelfe behinde,
Yet sith he n’ote save both, he sav’d that same
Which was the dearest to his dounghill minde,
The god of his desire, the joy of misers blinde. 135
XVI
Thus whilest all things in troublous uprore were,
And all men busie to suppresse the flame,
The loving couple neede no reskew feare,
But leasure had and liberty to frame
Their purpost flight, free from all mens reclame; 140
And Night, the patronesse of love-stealth fayre,
Gave them safeconduct, till to end they came:
So beene they gone yfere, a wanton payre
Of lovers loosely knit, where list them to repayre.
XVII
Soone as the cruell flames yslaked were, 145
Malbecco, seeing how his losse did lye,
Out of the flames, which he had quencht whylere,
Into huge waves of griefe and gealosye
Full deepe emplonged was, and drowned nye
Twixt inward doole and felonous despight: 150
He rav’d, he wept, he stampt, he lowd did cry,
And all the passions that in man may light
Did him attonce oppresse, and vex his caytive spright.
XVIII
Long thus he chawd the cud of inward griefe,
And did consume his gall with anguish sore: 155
Still when he mused on his late mischiefe,
Then still the smart thereof increased more,
And seemd more grievous then it was before:
At last, when sorrow he saw booted nought,
Ne griefe might not his love to him restore, 160
He gan devise how her he reskew mought;
Ten thousand wayes he cast in his confused thought.
XIX
At last resolving, like a pilgrim pore,
To search her forth, where so she might be fond,
And bearing with him treasure in close store, 165
The rest he leaves in ground: so takes in hond
To seeke her endlong both by sea and lond.
Long he her sought, he sought her far and nere,
And every where that he mote understond
Of knights and ladies any meetings were, 170
And of eachone he mett he tidings did inquere.
XX
But all in vaine; his woman was too wise,
Ever to come into his clouch againe,
And hee too simple ever to surprise
The jolly Paridell, for all his paine. 175
One day, as hee forpassed by the plaine
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