The Faerie Queene

by The Faerie Queen(Lit)

  The sad effect of her neare ouerthrow;

  And gan entreat that iron man below,

  To cease his outrage, and him faire besought,

  Sith neither force of stones which they did throw,

  Nor powr of charms, which she against him wrought,

  Might otherwise preuaile, or make him cease for ought.

  But when as yet she saw him to proceede,

  Vnmou'd with praiers, or with piteous thought,

  She ment him to corrupt with goodly meede;

  And causde great sackes with endlesse riches fraught,

  Vnto the battilment to be vpbrought,

  And powred forth ouer the Castle wall,

  That she might win some time, though dearly bought

  Whilest he to gathering of the gold did fall.

  But he was nothing mou'd, nor tempted therewithall.

  But still continu'd his assault the more,

  And layd on load with his huge yron flaile,

  That at the length he has yrent the dore,

  And made way for his maister to assaile.

  Who being entred, nought did then auaile

  For wight, against his powre them selues to reare:

  Each one did flie; their hearts began to faile,

  And hid them selues in corners here and there;

  And eke their dame halfe dead did hide her self for feare.

  Long they her sought, yet no where could they finde her,

  That sure they ween'd she was escapt away:

  But Talus, that could like a limehound winde her,

  And all things secrete wisely could bewray,

  At length found out, whereas she hidden lay

  Vnder an heape of gold. Thence he her drew

  By the faire lockes, and fowly did array,

  Withouten pitty of her goodly hew,

  That Artegall him selfe her seemelesse plight did rew.

  Yet for no pitty would he change the course

  Of Iustice, which in Talus hand did lye;

  Who rudely hayld her forth without remorse,

  Still holding vp her suppliant hands on hye,

  And kneeling at his feete submissiuely.

  But he her suppliant hands, those hands of gold,

  And eke her feete, those feete of siluer trye,

  Which sought vnrighteousnesse, and iustice sold,

  Chopt off, and nayld on high, that all might th&etilde; behold.

  Her selfe then tooke he by the sclender wast,

  In vaine loud crying, and into the flood

  Ouer the Castle wall adowne her cast,

  And there her drowned in the durty mud:

  But the streame washt away her guilty blood.

  Thereafter all that mucky pelfe he tooke,

  The spoile of peoples euill gotten good,

  The which her sire had scrap't by hooke and crooke;

  And burning all to ashes, powr'd it downe the brooke.

  And lastly all that Castle quite he raced,

  Euen from the sole of his foundation,

  And all the hewen stones thereof defaced,

  That there mote be no hope of reparation,

  Nor memory thereof to any nation.

  All which when Talus throughly had perfourmed,

  Sir Artegall vndid the euill fashion,

  And wicked customes of that Bridge refourmed.

  Which done, vnto his former iourney he retourned.

  In which they measur'd mickle weary way,

  Till that at length nigh to the sea they drew;

  By which as they did trauell on a day,

  They saw before them, far as they could vew,

  Full many people gathered in a crew:

  Whose great assembly they did much admire,

  For neuer there the like resort they knew.

  So towardes them they coasted, to enquire

  What thing so many nations met, did there desire.

  There they beheld a mighty Gyant stand

  Vpon a rocke, and holding forth on hie

  An huge great paire of ballance in his hand,

  With which he boasted in his surquedrie,

  That all the world he would weigh equallie,

  If ought he had the same to counterpoys.

  For want whereof he weighed vanity,

  And fild his ballaunce full of idle toys:

  Yet was admired much of fooles, women, and boys.

  He sayd that he would all the earth vptake,

  And all the sea, deuided each from either:

  So would he of the fire one ballaunce make,

  And one of th'ayre, without or wind, or wether:

  Then would he ballaunce heauen and hell together,

  And all that did within them all containe;

  Of all whose weight, he would not misse a fether.

  And looke what surplus did of each remaine,

  He would to his owne part restore the same againe.

  For why, he sayd they all vnequall were,

  And had encroched vppon others share,

  Like as the sea (which plaine he shewed there)

  Had worne the earth, so did the fire the aire;

  So all the rest did others parts empaire.

  And so were realmes and nations run awry.

  All which he vndertooke for to repaire,

  In sort as they were formed aunciently;

  And all things would reduce vnto equality.

  Therefore the vulgar did about him flocke,

  And cluster thicke vnto his leasings vaine,

  Like foolish flies about an hony crocke,

  In hope by him great benefite to gaine,

  And vncontrolled freedome to obtaine.

  All which when Artegall did see, and heare,

  How he mis-led the simple peoples traine,

  In sdeignfull wize he drew vnto him neare,

  And thus vnto him spake, without regard or feare;

  Thou that presum'st to weigh the world anew,

  And all things to an equall to restore,

  In stead of right me seemes great wrong dost shew,

  And far aboue thy forces pitch to sore.

  For ere thou limit what is lesse or more

  In euery thing, thou oughtest first to know,

  What was the poyse of euery part of yore:

  And looke then how much it doth ouerflow,

  Or faile thereof, so much is more then iust to trow.

  For at the first they all created were

  In goodly measure, by their Makers might,

  And weighed out in ballaunces so nere,

  That not a dram was missing of their right,

  The earth was in the middle centre pight,

  In which it doth immoueable abide,

  Hemd in with waters like a wall in sight;

  And they with aire, that not a drop can slide:

  Al which the heauens containe, & in their courses guide.

  Such heauenly iustice doth among them raine,

  That euery one doe know their certaine bound,

  In which they doe these many yeares remaine,

  And mongst them al no change hath yet beene found.

  But if thou now shouldst weigh them new in pound,

  We are not sure they would so long remaine:

  All change is perillous, and all chaunce vnsound.

  Therefore leaue off to weigh them all againe,

  Till we may be assur'd they shall their course retaine.

  Thou foolishe Elfe (said then the Gyant wroth)

  Seest not, how badly all things present bee,

  And each estate quite out of order go'th?

  The sea it selfe doest thou not plainely see

  Encroch vppon the land there vnder thee;

  And th'earth it selfe how daily its increast,

  By all that dying to it turned be?

  Were it not good that wrong were then surceast,

  And from the most, that some were giuen to the least?

  Therefore I wil
l throw downe these mountaines hie,

  And make them leuell with the lowly plaine:

  These towring rocks, which reach vnto the skie,

  I will thrust downe into the deepest maine,

  And as they were, them equalize againe.

  Tyrants that make men subiect to their law,

  I will suppresse, that they no more may raine;

  And Lordings curbe, that commons ouer-aw;

  And all the wealth of rich men to the poore will draw.

  Of things vnseene how canst thou deeme aright,

  Then answered the righteous Artegall,

  Sith thou misdeem'st so much of things in sight?

  What though the sea with waues continuall

  Doe eate the earth, it is no more at all:

  Ne is the earth the lesse, or loseth ought,

  For whatsoeuer from one place doth fall,

  Is with the tide vnto an other brought:

  For there is nothing lost, that may be found, if sought.

  Likewise the earth is not augmented more,

  By all that dying into it doe fade.

  For of the earth they formed were of yore;

  How euer gay their blossome or their blade

  Doe flourish now, they into dust shall vade.

  What wrong then is it, if that when they die,

  They turne to that, whereof they first were made?

  All in the powre of their great Maker lie:

  All creatures must obey the voice of the most hie.

  They liue, they die, like as he doth ordaine,

  Ne euer any asketh reason why.

  The hils doe not the lowly dales disdaine;

  The dales doe not the lofty hils enuy.

  He maketh Kings to sit in souerainty;

  He maketh subiects to their powre obay;

  He pulleth downe, he setteth vp on hy;

  He giues to this, from that he takes away.

  For all we haue is his: what he list doe, he may.

  What euer thing is done, by him is donne,

  Ne any may his mighty will withstand;

  Ne any may his soueraine power shonne,

  Ne loose that he hath bound with stedfast band.

  In vaine therefore doest thou now take in hand,

  To call to count, or weigh his workes anew,

  Whose counsels depth thou canst not vnderstand,

  Sith of things subiect to thy daily vew

  Thou doest not know the causes, nor their courses dew.

  For take thy ballaunce, if thou be so wise,

  And weigh the winde, that vnder heauen doth blow;

  Or weigh the light, that in the East doth rise;

  Or weigh the thought, that frõ mans mind doth flow.

  But if the weight of these thou canst not show,

  Weigh but one word which from thy lips doth fall.

  For how canst thou those greater secrets know,

  That doest not know the least thing of them all?

  Ill can he rule the great, that cannot reach the small.

  Therewith the Gyant much abashed sayd;

  That he of little things made reckoning light,

  Yet the least word that euer could be layd

  Within his ballaunce, he could way aright.

  Which is (sayd he) more heauy then in weight,

  The right or wrong, the false or else the trew?

  He answered, that he would try it streight,

  So he the words into his ballaunce threw,

  But streight the winged words out of his ballaunce flew.

  Wroth wext he then, and sayd, that words were light,

  Ne would within his ballaunce well abide.

  But he could iustly weigh the wrong or right.

  Well then, sayd Artegall, let it be tride.

  First in one ballance set the true aside.

  He did so first; and then the false he layd

  In th'other scale; but still it downe did slide,

  And by no meane could in the weight be stayd.

  For by no meanes the false will with the truth be wayd.

  Now take the right likewise, sayd Artegale,

  And counterpeise the same with so much wrong.

  So first the right he put into one scale;

  And then the Gyant stroue with puissance strong

  To fill the other scale with so much wrong.

  But all the wrongs that he therein could lay,

  Might not it peise; yet did he labour long,

  And swat, and chauf'd, and proued euery way:

  Yet all the wrongs could not a litle right downe lay.

  Which when he saw, he greatly grew in rage,

  And almost would his balances haue broken:

  But Artegall him fairely gan asswage,

  And said; Be not vpon thy balance wroken:

  For they doe nought but right or wrong betoken;

  But in the mind the doome of right must bee;

  And so likewise of words, the which be spoken,

  The eare must be the ballance, to decree

  And iudge, whether with truth or falshood they agree.

  But set the truth and set the right aside,

  For they with wrong or falshood will not fare;

  And put two wrongs together to be tride,

  Or else two falses, of each equall share;

  And then together doe them both compare.

  For truth is one, and right is euer one.

  So did he, and then plaine it did appeare,

  Whether of them the greater were attone.

  But right sate in the middest of the beame alone.

  But he the right from thence did thrust away,

  For it was not the right, which he did seeke;

  But rather stroue extremities to way,

  Th'one to diminish, th'other for to eeke.

  For of the meane he greatly did misleeke.

  Whom when so lewdly minded Talus found,

  Approching nigh vnto him cheeke by cheeke,

  He shouldered him from off the higher ground,

  And down the rock him throwing, in the sea him dround.

  Like as a ship, whom cruell tempest driues

  Vpon a rocke with horrible dismay,

  Her shattered ribs in thousand peeces riues,

  And spoyling all her geares and goodly ray,

  Does make her selfe misfortunes piteous pray.

  So downe the cliffe the wretched Gyant tumbled;

  His battred ballances in peeces lay,

  His timbered bones all broken rudely rumbled:

  So was the high aspyring with huge ruine humbled.

  That when the people, which had there about

  Long wayted, saw his sudden desolation,

  They gan to gather in tumultuous rout,

  And mutining, to stirre vp ciuill faction,

  For certaine losse of so great expectation.

  For well they hoped to haue got great good,

  And wondrous riches by his innouation.

  Therefore resoluing to reuenge his blood,

  They rose in armes, and all in battell order stood.

  Which lawlesse multitude him comming too

  In warlike wise, when Artegall did vew,

  He much was troubled, ne wist what to doo.

  For loth he was his noble hands t'embrew

  In the base blood of such a rascall crew;

  And otherwise, if that he should retire,

  He fear'd least they with shame would him pursew.

  Therefore he Talus to them sent, t'inquire

  The cause of their array, and truce for to desire.

  But soone as they him nigh approching spide,

  They gan with all their weapons him assay,

  And rudely stroke at him on euery side:

  Yet nought they could him hurt, ne ought dismay.

  But when at them he with his flaile gan lay,

  He like a swarme of flyes them ouerthrew;

  Ne any of them durst come in his way,


  But here and there before his presence flew,

  And hid themselues in holes and bushes from his vew.

  As when a Faulcon hath with nimble flight

  Flowne at a flush of Ducks, foreby the brooke,

  The trembling foule dismayd with dreadfull sight

  Of death, the which them almost ouertooke,

  Doe hide themselues from her astonying looke,

  Amongst the flags and couert round about.

  When Talus saw they all the field forsooke

  And none appear'd of all that raskall rout,

  To Artegall he turn'd, and went with him throughout.

  Cant. III.

  The spousals of faire Florimell,

  where turney many knights:

  There Braggadochio is vncas'd

  in all the Ladies sights.

  A Fter long stormes and tempests ouerblowne,

  The sunne at length his ioyous face doth cleare:

  So when as fortune all her spight hath showne,

  Some blisfull houres at last must needes appeare;

  Else should afflicted wights oftimes despeire.

  So comes it now to Florimell by tourne,

  After long sorrowes suffered whyleare,

  In which captiu'd she many moneths did mourne,

  To tast of ioy, and to wont pleasures to retourne.

  Who being freed from Proteus cruell band

  By Marinell, was vnto him affide,

  And by him brought againe to Faerie land;

  Where he her spous'd, and made his ioyous bride.

  The time and place was blazed farre and wide;

  And solemne feasts and giusts ordain'd therefore.

  To which there did resort from euery side

  Of Lords and Ladies infinite great store;

  Ne any Knight was absent, that braue courage bore.

  To tell the glorie of the feast that day,

  The goodly seruice, the deuicefull sights,

  The bridegromes state, the brides most rich array,

  The pride of Ladies, and the worth of knights,

  The royall banquets, and the rare delights,

  Were worke fit for an Herauld, not for me:

  But for so much as to my lot here lights,

  That with this present treatise doth agree,

  True vertue to aduance, shall here recounted bee.