The Faerie Queene

by The Faerie Queen(Lit)

  Whom still he marked freshly to arize

  From th'earth, & from her wombe new spirits to reprize.

  He then remembred well, that had bene sayd,

  How th'Earth his mother was, and first him bore;

  She eke so often, as his life decayd,

  Did life with vsury to him restore,

  And raysd him vp much stronger then before,

  So soone as he vnto her wombe did fall;

  Therefore to ground he would him cast no more,

  Ne him commit to graue terrestriall,

  But beare him farre from hope of succour vsuall.

  Tho vp he caught him twixt his puissant hands,

  And hauing scruzd out of his carrion corse

  The lothfull life, now loosd from sinfull bands,

  Vpon his shoulders carried him perforse

  Aboue three furlongs, taking his full course,

  Vntill he came vnto a standing lake;

  Him thereinto he threw without remorse,

  Ne stird, till hope of life did him forsake;

  So end of that Carles dayes, and his owne paines did make.

  Which when those wicked Hags from farre did spy,

  Like two mad dogs they ran about the lands,

  And th'one of them with dreadfull yelling cry,

  Throwing away her broken chaines and bands,

  And hauing quencht her burning fier brands,

  Hedlong her selfe did cast into that lake;

  But Impotence with her owne wilfull hands,

  One of Malegers cursed darts did take,

  So riu'd her trembling hart, and wicked end did make.

  Thus now alone he conquerour remaines;

  Tho comming to his Squire, that kept his steed,

  Thought to haue mounted, but his feeble vaines

  Him faild thereto, and serued not his need,

  Through losse of bloud, which from his wounds did bleed,

  That he began to faint, and life decay:

  But his good Squire him helping vp with speed,

  With stedfast hand vpon his horse did stay,

  And led him to the Castle by the beaten way.

  Where many Groomes and Squiers readie were,

  To take him from his steed full tenderly,

  And eke the fairest Alma met him there

  With balme and wine and costly spicery,

  To comfort him in his infirmity;

  Eftsoones she causd him vp to be conuayd,

  And of his armes despoyled easily,

  In sumptuous bed she made him to be layd,

  And all the while his wounds were dressing, by him stayd.

  Cant. XII.

  Guyon, by Palmers gouernance,

  passing through perils great,

  Doth ouerthrow the Bowre of blisse,

  and Acrasie defeat.

  N Ow gins this goodly frame of Temperance

  Fairely to rise, and her adorned hed

  To pricke of highest praise forth to aduance,

  Formerly grounded, and fast setteled

  On firme foundation of true bountihed;

  And this braue knight, that for that vertue fights,

  Now comes to point of that same perilous sted,

  Where Pleasure dwelles in sensuall delights,

  Mõgst thousand dangers, & ten thousand magick mights.

  Two dayes now in that sea he sayled has,

  Ne euer land beheld, ne liuing wight,

  Ne ought saue perill, still as he did pas:

  Tho when appeared the third Morrow bright,

  Vpon the waues to spred her trembling light,

  An hideous roaring farre away they heard,

  That all their senses filled with affright,

  And streight they saw the raging surges reard

  Vp to the skyes, that them of drowning made affeard.

  Said then the Boteman, Palmer stere aright,

  And keepe an euen course; for yonder way

  We needes must passe (God do vs well acquight,)

  That is the Gulfe of Greedinesse, they say,

  That deepe engorgeth all this worldes pray:

  Which hauing swallowd vp excessiuely,

  He soone in vomit vp againe doth lay,

  And belcheth forth his superfluity,

  That all the seas for feare do seeme away to fly.

  On th'other side an hideous Rocke is pight,

  Of mightie Magnes stone, whose craggie clift

  Depending from on high, dreadfull to sight,

  Ouer the waues his rugged armes doth lift,

  And threatneth downe to throw his ragged rift

  On who so commeth nigh; yet nigh it drawes

  All passengers, that none from it can shift:

  For whiles they fly that Gulfes deuouring iawes,

  They on this rock are rent, and sunck in helplesse wawes.

  Forward they passe, and strongly he them rowes,

  Vntill they nigh vnto that Gulfe arriue,

  Where streame more violent and greedy growes:

  Then he with all his puissance doth striue

  To strike his oares, and mightily doth driue

  The hollow vessell through the threatfull waue,

  Which gaping wide, to swallow them aliue,

  In th'huge abysse of his engulfing graue,

  Doth rore at them in vaine, and with great terror raue.

  They passing by, that griesly mouth did see,

  Sucking the seas into his entralles deepe,

  That seem'd more horrible then hell to bee,

  Or that darke dreadfull hole of Tartare steepe,

  Through which the damned ghosts doen often creepe

  Backe to the world, bad liuers to torment:

  But nought that falles into this direfull deepe,

  Ne that approcheth nigh the wide descent,

  May backe returne, but is condemned to be drent.

  On th'other side, they saw that perilous Rocke,

  Threatning it selfe on them to ruinate,

  On whose sharpe clifts the ribs of vessels broke,

  And shiuered ships, which had bene wrecked late,

  Yet stuck, with carkasses exanimate

  Of such, as hauing all their substance spent

  In wanton ioyes, and lustes intemperate,

  Did afterwards make shipwracke violent,

  Both of their life, and fame for euer fowly blent.

  For thy, this hight The Rocke of vile Reproch,

  A daungerous and detestable place,

  To which nor fish nor fowle did once approch,

  But yelling Meawes, with Seagulles hoarse and bace,

  And Cormoyrants, with birds of rauenous race,

  Which still sate waiting on that wastfull clift,

  For spoyle of wretches, whose vnhappie cace,

  After lost credite and consumed thrift,

  At last them driuen hath to this despairefull drift.

  The Palmer seeing them in safetie past,

  Thus said; Behold th'ensamples in our sights,

  Of lustfull luxurie and thriftlesse wast:

  What now is left of miserable wights,

  Which spent their looser daies in lewd delights,

  But shame and sad reproch, here to be red,

  By these rent reliques, speaking their ill plights?

  Let all that liue, hereby be counselled,

  To shunne Rocke of Reproch, and it as death to dred.

  So forth they rowed, and that Ferryman

  With his stiffe oares did brush the sea so strong,

  That the hoare waters from his frigot ran,

  And the light bubbles daunced all along,

  Whiles the salt brine out of the billowes sprong.

  At last farre off they many Islands spy,

  On euery side floting the floods emong:

  Then said the knight, Loe I the land descry,

  Therefore old Syre thy course do thereunto apply.

  That may not be, said then the Ferryman />
  Least we vnweeting hap to be fordonne:

  For those same Islands, seeming now and than,

  Are not firme land, nor any certein wonne,

  But straggling plots, which to and fro do ronne

  In the wide waters: therefore are they hight

  The wandring Islands. Therefore doe them shonne;

  For they haue oft drawne many a wandring wight

  Into most deadly daunger and distressed plight.

  Yet well they seeme to him, that farre doth vew,

  Both faire and fruitfull, and the ground dispred

  With grassie greene of delectable hew,

  And the tall trees with leaues apparelled,

  Are deckt with blossomes dyde in white and red,

  That mote the passengers thereto allure;

  But whosoeuer once hath fastened

  His foot thereon, may neuer it recure,

  But wandreth euer more vncertein and vnsure.

  As th'Isle of Delos whylome men report

  Amid th'Aegæan sea long time did stray,

  Ne made for shipping any certaine port,

  Till that Latona traueiling that way,

  Flying from Iunoes wrath and hard assay,

  Of her faire twins was there deliuered,

  Which afterwards did rule the night and day;

  Thenceforth it firmely was established,

  And for Apolloes honor highly herried.

  They to him hearken, as beseemeth meete,

  And passe on forward: so their way does ly,

  That one of those same Islands, which doe fleet

  In the wide sea, they needes must passen by,

  Which seemd so sweet and pleasant to the eye,

  That it would tempt a man to touchen there:

  Vpon the banck they sitting did espy

  A daintie damzell, dressing of her heare,

  By whom a litle skippet floting did appeare.

  She them espying, loud to them can call,

  Bidding them nigher draw vnto the shore;

  For she had cause to busie them withall;

  And therewith loudly laught: But nathemore

  Would they once turne, but kept on as afore:

  Which when she saw, she left her lockes vndight,

  And running to her boat withouten ore,

  From the departing land it launched light,

  And after them did driue with all her power and might.

  Whom ouertaking, she in merry sort

  Them gan to bord, and purpose diuersly,

  Now faining dalliance and wanton sport,

  Now throwing forth lewd words immodestly;

  Till that the Palmer gan full bitterly

  Her to rebuke, for being loose and light:

  Which not abiding, but more scornefully

  Scoffing at him, that did her iustly wite,

  She turnd her bote about, and from them rowed quite.

  That was the wanton Phoedria, which late

  Did ferry him ouer the Idle lake:

  Whom nought regarding, they kept on their gate,

  And all her vaine allurements did forsake,

  When them the wary Boateman thus bespake;

  Here now behoueth vs well to auyse,

  And of our safetie good heede to take;

  For here before a perlous passage lyes,

  Where many Mermayds haunt, making false melodies.

  But by the way, there is a great Quicksand,

  And a whirlepoole of hidden ieopardy,

  Therefore, Sir Palmer, keepe an euen hand;

  For twixt them both the narrow way doth ly.

  Scarse had he said, when hard at hand they spy

  That quicksand nigh with water couered;

  But by the checked waue they did descry

  It plaine, and by the sea discoloured:

  It called was the quicksand of Vnthriftyhed.

  They passing by, a goodly Ship did see,

  Laden from far with precious merchandize,

  And brauely furnished, as ship might bee,

  Which through great disauenture, or mesprize,

  Her selfe had runne into that hazardize;

  Whose mariners and merchants with much toyle,

  Labour'd in vaine, to haue recur'd their prize,

  And the rich wares to saue from pitteous spoyle,

  But neither toyle nor trauell might her backe recoyle.

  On th'other side they see that perilous Poole,

  That called was the VVhirlepoole of decay,

  In which full many had with haplesse doole

  Beene suncke, of whom no memorie did stay:

  Whose circled waters rapt with whirling sway,

  Like to a restlesse wheele, still running round,

  Did couet, as they passed by that way,

  To draw their boate within the vtmost bound

  Of his wide Labyrinth, and then to haue them dround.

  But th'heedfull Boateman strongly forth did stretch

  His brawnie armes, and all his body straine,

  That th'vtmost sandy breach they shortly fetch,

  Whiles the dred daunger does behind remaine.

  Suddeine they see from midst of all the Maine,

  The surging waters like a mountaine rise,

  And the great sea puft vp with proud disdaine,

  To swell aboue the measure of his guise,

  As threatning to deuoure all, that his powre despise.

  The waues come rolling, and the billowes rore

  Outragiously, as they enraged were,

  Or wrathfull Neptune did them driue before

  His whirling charet, for exceeding feare:

  For not one puffe of wind there did appeare,

  That all the three thereat woxe much afrayd,

  Vnweeting, what such horrour straunge did reare.

  Eftsoones they saw an hideous hoast arrayd,

  Of huge Sea monsters, such as liuing sence dismayd.

  Most vgly shapes, and horrible aspects,

  Such as Dame Nature selfe mote feare to see,

  Or shame, that euer should so fowle defects

  From her most cunning hand escaped bee;

  All dreadfull pourtraicts of deformitee:

  Spring-headed Hydraes, and sea-shouldring Whales,

  Great whirlpooles, which all fishes make to flee,

  Bright Scolopendraes, arm'd with siluer scales,

  Mighty Monoceroses, with immeasured tayles.

  The dreadfull Fish, that hath deseru'd the name

  Of Death, and like him lookes in dreadfull hew,

  The griesly Wasserman, that makes his game

  The flying ships with swiftnesse to pursew,

  The horrible Sea-satyre, that doth shew

  His fearefull face in time of greatest storme,

  Huge Ziffius, whom Mariners eschew

  No lesse, then rockes, (as trauellers informe,)

  And greedy Rosmarines with visages deforme.

  All these, and thousand thousands many more,

  And more deformed Monsters thousand fold,

  With dreadfull noise, and hollow rombling rore,

  Came rushing in the fomy waues enrold,

  Which seem'd to fly for feare, them to behold:

  Ne wonder, if these did the knight appall;

  For all that here on earth we dreadfull hold,

  Be but as bugs to fearen babes withall,

  Compared to the creatures in the seas entrall.

  Feare nought, (then said the Palmer well auiz'd;)

  For these same Monsters are not these in deed,

  But are into these fearefull shapes disguiz'd

  By that same wicked witch, to worke vs dreed,

  And draw from on this iourney to proceede.

  Tho lifting vp his vertuous staffe on hye,

  He smote the sea, which calmed was with speed,

  And all that dreadfull Armie fast gan flye

  Into great Tethys bosome, where they hidden lye.
<
br />   Quit from that daunger, forth their course they kept,

  And as they went, they heard a ruefull cry

  Of one, that wayld and pittifull[y] wept,

  That through the sea the resounding plaints did fly:

  At last they in an Island did espy

  A seemely Maiden, sitting by the shore,

  That with great sorrow and sad agony,

  Seemed some great misfortune to deplore,

  And lowd to them for succour called euermore.

  Which Guyon hearing, streight his Palmer bad,

  To stere the boate towards that dolefull Mayd,

  That he might know, and ease her sorrow sad:

  Who him auizing better, to him sayd;

  Faire Sir, be not displeasd, if disobayd:

  For ill it were to hearken to her cry;

  For she is inly nothing ill apayd,

  But onely womanish fine forgery,

  Your stubborne hart t'affect with fraile infirmity.

  To which when she your courage hath inclind

  Through foolish pitty, then her guilefull bayt

  She will embosome deeper in your mind,

  And for your ruine at the last awayt.

  The knight was ruled, and the Boateman strayt

  Held on his course with stayed stedfastnesse,

  Ne euer shruncke, ne euer sought to bayt

  His tyred armes for toylesome wearinesse,

  But with his oares did sweepe the watry wildernesse.

  And now they nigh approched to the sted,

  Where as those Mermayds dwelt: it was a still

  And calmy bay, on th'one side sheltered

  With the brode shadow of an hoarie hill,

  On th'other side an high rocke toured still,

  That twixt them both a pleasaunt port they made,

  And did like an halfe Theatre fulfill:

  There those fiue sisters had continuall trade,

  And vsd to bath themselues in that deceiptfull shade.

  They were faire Ladies, till they fondly striu'd

  With th'Heliconian maides for maistery;

  Of whom they ouer-comen, were depriu'd

  Of their proud beautie, and th'one moyity

  Transform'd to fish, for their bold surquedry,

  But th'vpper halfe their hew retained still,