The Faerie Queene

by The Faerie Queen(Lit)

  In which his might was neuer ouerthrowne,

  But through all Faery lond his famous worth was blown.

  Yet euermore it was his manner faire,

  After long labours and aduentures spent,

  Vnto those natiue woods for to repaire,

  To see his sire and offspring auncient.

  And now he thither came for like intent;

  Where he vnwares the fairest Vna found,

  Straunge Lady, in so straunge habiliment,

  Teaching the Satyres, which her sat around,

  Trew sacred lore, which from her sweet lips did redound.

  He wondred at her wisedome heauenly rare,

  Whose like in womens wit he neuer knew;

  And when her curteous deeds he did compare,

  Gan her admire, and her sad sorrowes rew,

  Blaming of Fortune, which such troubles threw,

  And ioyd to make proofe of her crueltie

  On gentle Dame, so hurtlesse, and so trew:

  Thenceforth he kept her goodly company,

  And learnd her discipline of faith and veritie.

  But she all vowd vnto the Redcrosse knight,

  His wandring perill closely did lament,

  Ne in this new acquaintaunce could delight,

  But her deare heart with anguish did torment,

  And all her wit in secret counsels spent,

  How to escape. At last in priuie wise

  To Satyrane she shewed her intent:

  Who glad to gain such fauour, gan deuise,

  How with that pensiue Maid he best might thence arise.

  So on a day when Satyres all were gone,

  To do their seruice to Syluanus old,

  The gentle virgin left behind alone

  He led away with courage stout and bold.

  Too late it was, to Satyres to be told,

  Or euer hope recouer her againe:

  In vaine he seekes that hauing cannot hold.

  So fast he carried her with carefull paine,

  That they the woods are past, & come now to the plaine.

  The better part now of the lingring day,

  They traueild had, when as they farre espide

  A wearie wight forwandring by the way,

  And towards him they gan in hast to ride,

  To weet of newes, that did abroad betide,

  Or tydings of her knight of the Redcrosse.

  But he them spying, gan to turne aside,

  For feare as seemd, or for some feigned losse;

  More greedy they of newes, fast towards him do crosse.

  A silly man, in simple weedes forworne,

  And soild with dust of the long dried way;

  His sandales were with toilesome trauell torne,

  And face all tand with scorching sunny ray,

  As he had traueild many a sommers day,

  Through boyling sands of Arabie and Ynde;

  And in his hand a Iacobs staffe, to stay

  His wearie limbes vpon: and eke behind,

  His scrip did hang, in which his needments he did bind.

  The knight approching nigh, of him inquerd

  Tydings of warre, and of aduentures new;

  But warres, nor new aduentures none he herd.

  Then Vna gan to aske, if ought he knew,

  Or heard abroad of that her champion trew,

  That in his armour bare a croslet red.

  Aye me, Deare dame (quoth he) well may I rew

  To tell the sad sight, which mine eies haue red:

  These eyes did see that knight both liuing and eke ded.

  That cruell word her tender hart so thrild,

  That suddein cold did runne through euery vaine,

  And stony horrour all her sences fild

  With dying fit, that downe she fell for paine.

  The knight her lightly reared vp againe,

  And comforted with curteous kind reliefe:

  Then wonne from death, she bad him tellen plaine

  The further processe of her hidden griefe;

  The lesser pangs can beare, who hath endur'd the chiefe.

  Then gan the Pilgrim thus, I chaunst this day,

  This fatall day, that shall I euer rew,

  To see two knights in trauell on my way

  (A sory sight) arraung'd in battell new,

  Both breathing vengeaunce, both of wrathfull hew:

  My fearefull flesh did tremble at their strife,

  To see their blades so greedily imbrew,

  That drunke with bloud, yet thristed after life:

  What more? the Redcrosse knight was slaine with Paynim knife.

  Ah dearest Lord (quoth she) how might that bee,

  And he the stoutest knight, that euer wonne?

  Ah dearest dame (quoth he) how might I see

  The thing, that might not be, and yet was donne?

  Where is (said Satyrane) that Paynims sonne,

  That him of life, and vs of ioy hath reft?

  Not far away (quoth he) he hence doth wonne

  Foreby a fountaine, where I late him left

  Washing his bloudy wounds, that through the steele were cleft.

  Therewith the knight thence marched forth in hast,

  Whiles Vna with huge heauinesse opprest,

  Could not for sorrow follow him so fast;

  And soone he came, as he the place had ghest,

  Whereas that Pagan proud him selfe did rest,

  In secret shadow by a fountaine side:

  Euen he it was, that earst would haue supprest

  Faire Vna: whom when Satyrane espide,

  With fowle reprochfull words he boldly him defide.

  And said, Arise thou cursed Miscreaunt,

  That hast with knightlesse guile and trecherous train

  Faire knighthood fowly shamed, and doest vaunt

  That good knight of the Redcrosse to haue slain:

  Arise, and with like treason now maintain

  Thy guilty wrong, or else thee guilty yield.

  The Sarazin this hearing, rose amain,

  And catching vp in hast his three square shield,

  And shining helmet, soone him buckled to the field.

  And drawing nigh him said, Ah misborne Elfe,

  In euill houre thy foes thee hither sent,

  Anothers wrongs to wreake vpon thy selfe:

  Yet ill thou blamest me, for hauing blent

  My name with guile and traiterous intent;

  That Redcrosse knight, perdie, I neuer slew,

  But had he beene, where earst his armes were lent,

  Th'enchaunter vaine his errour should not rew:

  But thou his errour shalt, I hope now prouen trew.

  Therewith they gan, both furious and fell,

  To thunder blowes, and fiersly to assaile

  Each other bent his enimy to quell,

  That with their force they perst both plate and maile,

  And made wide furrowes in their fleshes fraile,

  That it would pitty any liuing eie.

  Large floods of bloud adowne their sides did raile;

  But floods of bloud could not them satisfie:

  Both hungred after death: both chose to win, or die.

  So long they fight, and fell reuenge pursue,

  That fainting each, themselues to breathen let,

  And oft refreshed, battell oft renue:

  As when two Bores with rancling malice met,

  Their gory sides fresh bleeding fiercely fret,

  Til breathlesse both them selues aside retire,

  Where foming wrath, their cruell tuskes they whet,

  And trample th'earth, the whiles they may respire;

  Then backe to fight againe, new breathed and entire.

  So fiersly, when these knights had breathed once,

  They gan to fight returne, increasing more

  Their puissant force, and cruell rage attonce,

  With heaped strokes more hugely, then before,

 
That with their drerie wounds and bloudy gore

  They both deformed, scarsely could be known.

  By this sad Vna fraught with anguish sore,

  Led with their noise, which through the aire was thrown:

  Arriu'd, where they in erth their fruitles bloud had sown.

  Whom all so soone as that proud Sarazin

  Espide, he gan reuiue the memory

  Of his lewd lusts, and late attempted sin,

  And left the doubtfull battell hastily,

  To catch her, newly offred to his eie:

  But Satyrane with strokes him turning, staid,

  And sternely bad him other businesse plie,

  Then hunt the steps of pure vnspotted Maid:

  Wherewith he all enrag'd, these bitter speaches said.

  O foolish faeries sonne, what furie mad

  Hath thee incenst, to hast thy dolefull fate?

  Were it not better, I that Lady had,

  Then that thou hadst repented it too late?

  Most sencelesse man he, that himselfe doth hate,

  To loue another. Lo then for thine ayd

  Here take thy louers token on thy pate.

  So they to fight; the whiles the royall Mayd

  Fled farre away, of that proud Paynim sore afrayd.

  But that false Pilgrim, which that leasing told,

  Being in deed old Archimage, did stay

  In secret shadow, all this to behold,

  And much reioyced in their bloudy fray:

  But when he saw the Damsell passe away

  He left his stond, and her pursewd apace,

  In hope to bring her to her last decay.

  But for to tell her lamentable cace,

  And eke this battels end, will need another place.

  Cant. VII.

  The Redcrosse knight is captiue made

  By Gyaunt proud opprest,

  Prince Arthur meets with Vna great-

  ly with those newes distrest.

  WHat man so wise, what earthly wit so ware,

  As to descry the crafty cunning traine,

  By which deceipt doth maske in visour faire,

  And cast her colours dyed deepe in graine,

  To seeme like Truth, whose shape she well can faine,

  And fitting gestures to her purpose frame;

  The guiltlesse man with guile to entertaine?

  Great maistresse of her art was that false Dame,

  The false Duessa, cloked with Fidessaes name.

  Who when returning from the drery Night,

  She fownd not in that perilous house of Pryde,

  Where she had left, the noble Redcrosse knight,

  Her hoped pray, she would no lenger bide,

  But forth she went, to seeke him far and wide.

  Ere long she fownd, whereas he wearie sate,

  To rest him selfe, foreby a fountaine side,

  Disarmed all of yron-coted Plate,

  And by his side his steed the grassy forage ate.

  He feedes vpon the cooling shade, and bayes

  His sweatie forehead in the breathing wind,

  Which through the tr&etilde;bling leaues full gently playes

  Wherein the cherefull birds of sundry kind

  Do chaunt sweet musick, to delight his mind:

  The Witch approching gan him fairely greet,

  And with reproch of carelesnesse vnkind

  Vpbrayd, for leauing her in place vnmeet,

  With fowle words tempring faire, soure gall with hony sweet.

  Vnkindnesse past, they gan of solace treat,

  And bathe in pleasaunce of the ioyous shade,

  Which shielded them against the boyling heat,

  And with greene boughes decking a gloomy glade,

  About the fountaine like a girlond made;

  Whose bubbling waue did euer freshly well,

  Ne euer would through feruent sommer fade:

  The sacred Nymph, which therein wont to dwell,

  Was out of Dianes fauour, as it then befell.

  The cause was this: one day when Phoebe fayre

  With all her band was following the chace,

  This Nymph, quite tyr'd with heat of scorching ayre,

  Sat downe to rest in middest of the race:

  The goddesse wroth gan fowly her disgrace,

  And bad the waters, which from her did flow,

  Be such as she her selfe was then in place.

  Thenceforth her waters waxed dull and slow,

  And all that drunke thereof, did faint and feeble grow.

  Hereof this gentle knight vnweeting was,

  And lying downe vpon the sandie graile,

  Drunke of the streame, as cleare as cristall glas;

  Eftsoones his manly forces gan to faile,

  And mightie strong was turnd to feeble fraile.

  His chaunged powres at first them selues not felt,

  Till crudled cold his corage gan assaile,

  And chearefull bloud in faintnesse chill did melt,

  Which like a feuer fit through all his body swelt.

  Yet goodly court he made still to his Dame,

  Pourd out in loosnesse on the grassy grownd,

  Both carelesse of his health, and of his fame:

  Till at the last he heard a dreadfull sownd,

  Which through the wood loud bellowing, did rebownd,

  That all the earth for terrour seemd to shake,

  And trees did tremble. Th'Elfe therewith astownd,

  Vpstarted lightly from his looser make,

  And his vnready weapons gan in hand to take.

  But ere he could his armour on him dight,

  Or get his shield, his monstrous enimy

  With sturdie steps came stalking in his sight,

  An hideous Geant horrible and hye,

  That with his talnesse seemd to threat the skye,

  The ground eke groned vnder him for dreed;

  His liuing like saw neuer liuing eye,

  Ne durst behold: his stature did exceed

  The hight of three the tallest sonnes of mortall seed.

  The greatest Earth his vncouth mother was,

  And blustring AEolus his boasted sire,

  Who with his breath, which through the world doth pas,

  Her hollow womb did secretly inspire,

  And fild her hidden caues with stormie yre,

  That she conceiu'd; and trebling the dew time,

  In which the wombes of women do expire,

  Brought forth this monstrous masse of earthly slime,

  Puft vp with emptie wind, and fild with sinfull crime.

  So growen great through arrogant delight

  Of th'high descent, whereof he was yborne,

  And through presumption of his matchlesse might,

  All other powres and knighthood he did scorne.

  Such now he marcheth to this man forlorne,

  And left to losse: his stalking steps are stayde

  Vpon a snaggy Oke, which he had torne

  Out of his mothers bowelles, and it made

  His mortall mace, wherewith his foemen he dismayde.

  That when the knight he spide, he gan aduance

  With huge force and insupportable mayne,

  And towardes him with dreadfull fury praunce;

  Who haplesse, and eke hopelesse, all in vaine

  Did to him pace, sad battaile to darrayne,

  Disarmd, disgrast, and inwardly dismayde,

  And eke so faint in euery ioynt and vaine,

  Through that fraile fountaine, which him feeble made,

  That scarsely could he weeld his bootlesse single blade.

  The Geaunt strooke so maynly mercilesse,

  That could haue ouerthrowne a stony towre,

  And were not heauenly grace, that him did blesse,

  He had beene pouldred all, as thin as flowre:

  But he was wary of that deadly stowre,

  And lightly lept from vnderneath the blow:

  Yet so
exceeding was the villeins powre,

  That with the wind it did him ouerthrow,

  And all his sences stound, that still he lay full low.

  As when that diuelish yron Engin wrought

  In deepest Hell, and framd by Furies skill,

  With windy Nitre and quick Sulphur fraught,

  And ramd with bullet round, ordaind to kill,

  Conceiueth fire, the heauens it doth fill

  With thundring noyse, and all the ayre doth choke,

  That none can breath, nor see, nor heare at will,

  Through smouldry cloud of duskish stincking smoke,

  That th'onely breath him daunts, who hath escapt the stroke.

  So daunted when the Geaunt saw the knight,

  His heauie hand he heaued vp on hye,

  And him to dust thought to haue battred quight,

  Vntill Duessa loud to him gan crye;

  O great Orgoglio, greatest vnder skye,

  O hold thy mortall hand for Ladies sake,

  Hold for my sake, and do him not to dye,

  But vanquisht thine eternall bondslaue make,

  And me thy worthy meed vnto thy Leman take.

  He hearkned, and did stay from further harmes,

  To gayne so goodly guerdon, as she spake:

  So willingly she came into his armes,

  Who her as willingly to grace did take,

  And was possessed of his new found make.

  Then vp he tooke the slombred sencelesse corse,

  And ere he could out of his swowne awake,

  Him to his castle brought with hastie forse,

  And in a Dongeon deepe him threw without remorse.

  From that day forth Duessa was his deare,

  And highly honourd in his haughtie eye,

  He gaue her gold and purple pall to weare,

  And triple crowne set on her head full hye,

  And her endowd with royall maiestye:

  Then for to make her dreaded more of men,

  And peoples harts with awfull terrour tye,

  A monstrous beast ybred in filthy fen

  He chose, which he had kept long time in darksome den.

  Such one it was, as that renowmed Snake

  Which great Alcides in Stremona slew,

  Long fostred in the filth of Lerna lake,

  Whose many heads out budding euer new,