Or with her owne good will, I cannot read aright.
L
‘But sure to me her faith she first did plight,
To be my love, and take me for her lord,
Till that a tyrant, which Grandtorto hight,
With golden giftes and many a guilefull word 445
Entyced her, to him for to accord.
O who may not with gifts and words be tempted?
Sith which she hath me ever since abhord,
And to my foe hath guilefully consented:
Ay me, that ever guyle in wemen was invented! 450
LI
‘And now he hath this troupe of villains sent,
By open force to fetch her quite away:
Gainst whom my selfe I long in vaine have bent
To rescue her, and daily meanes assay,
Yet rescue her thence by no meanes I may: 455
For they doe me with multitude oppresse,
And with unequall might doe overlay,
That oft I driven am to great distresse,
And forced to forgoe th’ attempt remedilesse.’
LII
‘But why have ye,’ said Artegall, ‘forborne 460
Your owne good shield in daungerous dismay?
That is the greatest shame and foulest scorne,
Which unto any knight behappen may,
To loose the badge that should his deedes display.’
To whom Sir Burbon, blushing halfe for shame, 465
‘That shall I unto you,’ quoth he, ‘bewray;
Least ye therefore mote happily me blame,
And deeme it doen of will, that through inforcement came.
LIII
‘True is, that I at first was dubbed knight
By a good knight, the Knight of the Redcrosse; 470
Who when he gave me armes, in field to fight,
Gave me a shield, in which he did endosse
His deare Redeemers badge upon the bosse:
The same long while I bore, and therewithall
Fought many battels without wound or losse; 475
Therewith Grandtorto selfe I did appall,
And made him oftentimes in field before me fall.
LIV
‘But for that many did that shield envie,
And cruell enemies increased more;
To stint all strife and troublous enmitie, 480
That bloudie scutchin being battered sore,
I layd aside, and have of late forbore,
Hoping thereby to have my love obtayned:
Yet can I not my love have nathemore;
For she by force is still fro me detayned, 485
And with corruptfull brybes is to untruth mis-trayned.’
LV
To whom thus Artegall: ‘Certes, sir knight,
Hard is the case the which ye doe complaine;
Yet not so hard (for nought so hard may light,
That it to such a streight mote you constraine) 490
As to abandon that which doth containe
Your honours stile, that is your warlike shield.
All perill ought be lesse, and lesse all paine,
Then losse of fame in disaventrous field:
Dye rather, then doe ought that mote dishonour yield.’ 495
LVI
‘Not so,’ quoth he; ‘for yet, when time doth serve,
My former shield I may resume againe:
To temporize is not from truth to swerve,
Ne for advantage terme to entertaine,
When as necessitie doth it constraine.’ 500
‘Fie on such forgerie,’ said Artegall,
‘Under one hood to shadow faces twaine!
Knights ought be true, and truth is one in all:
Of all things, to dissemble fouly may befall.’
LVII
‘Yet let me you of courtesie request,’ 505
Said Burbon, ‘to assist me now at need
Against these pesants which have me opprest,
And forced me to so infamous deed,
That yet my love may from their hands be freed.’
Sir Artegall, albe he earst did wyte 510
His wavering mind, yet to his aide agreed,
And buckling him eftsoones unto the fight,
Did set upon those troupes with all his powre and might.
LVIII
Who flocking round about them, as a swarme
Of flyes upon a birchen bough doth cluster, 515
Did them assault with terrible allarme,
And over all the fields themselves did muster,
With bils and glayves making a dreadfull luster;
That forst at first those knights backe to retyre:
As when the wrathfull Boreas doth bluster, 520
Nought may abide the tempest of his yre;
Both man and beast doe fly, and succour doe inquyre.
LIX
But when as overblowen was that brunt,
Those knights began a fresh them to assayle,
And all about the fields like squirrels hunt; 525
But chiefly Talus with his yron flayle,
Gainst which no flight nor rescue mote avayle,
Made cruell havocke of the baser crew,
And chaced them both over hill and dale:
The raskall manie soone they overthrew, 530
But the two knights themselves their captains did subdew.
LX
At last they came whereas that ladie bode,
Whom now her keepers had forsaken quight,
To save themselves, and scattered were abrode:
Her halfe dismayd they found in doubtfull plight, 535
As neither glad nor sorie for their sight;
Yet wondrous faire she was, and richly clad
In roiall robes, and many jewels dight,
But that those villens through their usage bad
Them fouly rent and shamefully defaced had. 540
LXI
But Burbon, streight dismounting from his steed,
Unto her ran with greedie great desyre,
And catching her fast by her ragged weed,
Would have embraced her with hart entyre.
But she, backstarting with disdainefull yre, 545
Bad him avaunt, ne would unto his lore
Allured be, for prayer nor for meed.
Whom when those knights so froward and forlore
Beheld, they her rebuked and upbrayded sore.
LXII
Sayd Artegall: ‘What foule disgrace is this 550
To so faire ladie as ye seeme in sight,
To blot your beautie, that unblemisht is,
With so foule blame as breach of faith once plight,
Or change of love for any worlds delight!
Is ought on earth so pretious or deare, 555
As prayse and honour? Or is ought so bright
And beautifull as glories beames appeare,
Whose goodly light then Phebus lampe doth shine more cleare?
LXIII
‘Why then will ye, fond dame, attempted bee
Unto a strangers love, so lightly placed, 560
For guiftes of gold or any worldly glee,
To leave the love that ye before embraced,
And let your fame with falshood be defaced?
Fie on the pelfe for which good name is sold,
And honour with indignitie debased! 565
Dearer is love then life, and fame then gold;
But dearer then them both your faith once plighted hold.’
LXIV
Much was the ladie in her gentle mind
Abasht at his rebuke, that bit her neare,
Ne ought to answere thereunto did find; 570
But hanging downe her head with heavie cheare,
Stood long amaz’d, as she amated weare.
Which Burbon seeing, her againe assayd,
And clasping twixt his armes, her up did reare
Upon his steede, whiles
she no whit gainesayd; 575
So bore her quite away, nor well nor ill apayd.
LXV
Nathlesse the yron man did still pursew
That raskall many with unpittied spoyle,
Ne ceassed not, till all their scattred crew
Into the sea he drove quite from that soyle, 580
The which they troubled had with great turmoyle.
But Artegall, seeing his cruell deed,
Commaunded him from slaughter to recoyle,
And to his voyage gan againe proceed:
For that the terme, approching fast, required speed. 585
Faerie Queene Detailed Table of Contents
Glossary for ‘The Faerie Queene’
Canto XII
Artegall doth Sir Burbon aide,
And blames for changing shield:
He with the great Grantorto fights,
And slaieth him in field.
I
O SACRED hunger of ambitious mindes,
And impotent desire of men to raine,
Whom neither dread of God, that devils bindes,
Nor lawes of men, that common weales containe,
Nor bands of nature, that wilde beastes restraine, 5
Can keepe from outrage and from doing wrong,
Where they may hope a kingdome to obtaine.
No faith so firme, no trust can be so strong,
No love so lasting then, that may enduren long.
II
Witnesse may Burbon be, whom all the bands 10
Which may a knight assure had surely bound,
Untill the love of lordship and of lands
Made him become most faithlesse and unsound:
And witnesse be Gerioneo found,
Who for like cause faire Belge did oppresse, 15
And right and wrong most cruelly confound:
And so be now Grantorto, who no lesse
Then all the rest burst out to all outragiousnesse.
III
Gainst whom Sir Artegall, long having since
Taken in hand th’ exploit, being theretoo 20
Appointed by that mightie Faerie prince,
Great Gloriane, that tyrant to fordoo,
Through other great adventures hethertoo
Had it forslackt. But now time drawing ny,
To him assynd, her high beheast to doo, 25
To the sea shore he gan his way apply,
To weete if shipping readie he mote there descry.
IV
Tho, when they came to the sea coast, they found
A ship all readie (as good fortune fell)
To put to sea, with whom they did compound 30
To passe them over, where them list to tell:
The winde and weather served them so well,
That in one day they with the coast did fall;
Whereas they readie found, them to repell,
Great hostes of men in order martiall, 35
Which them forbad to land, and footing did forstall.
V
But nathemore would they from land refraine,
But when as nigh unto the shore they drew,
That foot of man might sound the bottome plaine,
Talus into the sea did forth issew, 40
Though darts from shore and stones they at him threw;
And wading through the waves with stedfast sway,
Maugre the might of all those troupes in vew,
Did win the shore, whence he them chast away,
And made to fly, like doves whom the eagle doth affray. 45
VI
The whyles Sir Artegall with that old knight
Did forth descend, there being none them neare,
And forward marched to a towne in sight.
By this came tydings to the tyrants eare,
By those which earst did fly away for feare, 50
Of their arrivall: wherewith troubled sore,
He all his forces streight to him did reare,
And forth issuing with his scouts afore,
Meant them to have incountred, ere they left the shore.
VII
But ere he marched farre, he with them met, 55
And fiercely charged them with all his force;
But Talus sternely did upon them set,
And brusht and battred them without remorse,
That on the ground he left full many a corse;
Ne any able was him to withstand, 60
But he them overthrew both man and horse,
That they lay scattred over all the land,
As thicke as doth the seede after the sowers hand.
VIII
Till Artegall, him seeing so to rage,
Willd him to stay, and signe of truce did make: 65
To which all harkning, did a while asswage
Their forces furie, and their terror slake;
Till he an herauld cald, and to him spake,
Willing him wend unto the tyrant streight,
And tell him that not for such slaughters sake 70
He thether came, but for to trie the right
Of fayre Irenaes cause with him in single fight:
IX
And willed him for to reclayme with speed
His scattred people, ere they all were slaine,
And time and place convenient to agreed, 75
In which they two the combat might darraine.
Which message when Grantorto heard, full fayne
And glad he was the slaughter so to stay,
And pointed for the combat twixt them twayne
The morrow next, ne gave him longer day: 80
So sounded the retraite, and drew his folke away.
X
That night Sir Artegall did cause his tent
There to be pitched on the open plaine;
For he had given streight commaundement,
That none should dare him once to entertaine: 85
Which none durst breake, though many would right faine
For fayre Irena, whom they loved deare.
But yet old Sergis did so well him paine,
That from close friends, that dar’d not to appeare,
He all things did purvay, which for them needfull weare. 90
XI
The morrow next, that was the dismall day
Appointed for Irenas death before,
So soone as it did to the world display
His chearefull face, and light to men restore,
The heavy mayd, to whom none tydings bore 95
Of Artegals arryvall, her to free,
Lookt up with eyes full sad and hart full sore;
Weening her lifes last howre then neare to bee,
Sith no redemption nigh she did nor heare nor see.
XII
Then up she rose, and on her selfe did dight 100
Most squalid garments, fit for such a day,
And with dull countenance, and with doleful spright,
She forth was brought in sorrowfull dismay,
For to receive the doome of her decay.
But comming to the place, and finding there 105
Sir Artegall, in battailous array
Wayting his foe, it did her dead hart cheare,
And new life to her lent, in midst of deadly feare.
XIII
Like as a tender rose in open plaine,
That with untimely drought nigh withered was, 110
And hung the head, soone as few drops of raine
Thereon distill, and deaw her daintie face,
Gins to looke up, and with fresh wonted grace
Dispreds the glorie of her leaves gay;
Such was Irenas countenance, such her case, 115
When Artegall she saw in that array,
There wayting for the tyrant, till it was farre day.
XIV
Who came at length, with proud presumpteous gate,
Into the field, as if he fearelesse were,
All armed in a cote of yro
n plate, 120
Of great defence to ward the deadly feare,
And on his head a steele cap he did weare
Of colour rustie browne, but sure and strong;
And in his hand an huge polaxe did beare,
Whose steale was yron studded, but not long, 125
With which he wont to fight, to justifie his wrong.
XV
Of stature huge and hideous he was,
Like to a giant for his monstrous hight,
And did in strength most sorts of men surpas,
Ne ever any found his match in might; 130
Thereto he had great skill in single fight:
His face was ugly and his countenance sterne,
That could have frayd one with the very sight,
And gaped like a gulfe when he did gerne,
That whether man or monster one could scarse discerne. 135
XVI
Soone as he did within the listes appeare,
With dreadfull looke he Artegall beheld,
As if he would have daunted him with feare,
And grinning griesly, did against him weld
His deadly weapon, which in hand he held. 140
But th’ Elfin swayne, that oft had seene like sight,
Was with his ghastly count’nance nothing queld,
But gan him streight to buckle to the fight,
And cast his shield about, to be in readie plight.
XVII
The trompets sound, and they together goe, 145
With dreadfull terror and with fell intent;
And their huge strokes full daungerously bestow,
To doe most dammage where as most they ment.
But with such force and furie violent
The tyrant thundred his thicke blowes so fast, 150
That through the yron walles their way they rent,
And even to the vitall parts they past,
Ne ought could them endure, but all they cleft or brast.
XVIII
Which cruell outrage when as Artegall
Did well avize, thenceforth with warie heed 155
He shund his strokes, where ever they did fall,
And way did give unto their gracelesse speed:
As when a skilfull marriner doth reed
A storme approching, that doth perill threat,
He will not bide the daunger of such dread, 160
But strikes his sayles, and vereth his mainsheat,
And lends unto it leave the emptie ayre to beat.
XIX
So did the Faerie knight himselfe abeare,
And stouped oft, his head from shame to shield;
No shame to stoupe, ones head more high to reare, 165
And, much to gaine, a litle for to yield;
So stoutest knights doen oftentimes in field.
But still the tyrant sternely at him layd,
And did his yron axe so nimbly wield,
That many wounds into his flesh it made, 170
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