The Faerie Queene

  Doth light the lower world, were halfe yspent,

  And the moist daughters of huge Atlas stroue

  Into the Ocean deepe to driue their weary droue.

  58 High time it seemed then for euery wight

  Them to betake vnto their kindly rest;

  Eftsoones long waxen torches weren light,

  Vnto their bowres to guiden euery guest:

  Tho when the Britonesse saw all the rest

  Auoided quite, she gan her selfe despoile,

  And safe commit to her soft fethered nest,

  Where through long watch, & late dayes weary toile,

  She soundly slept, & carefull thoughts did quite assoile.

  59 Now whenas all the world in silence deepe

  Yshrowded was, and euery mortall wight

  Was drowned in the depth of deadly sleepe,

  Faire Malecasta, whose engrieued spright

  Could find no rest in such perplexed plight,

  Lightly arose out of her wearie bed,

  And vnder the blacke vele of guilty Night,

  Her with a scarlot mantle couered,

  That was with gold and Ermines faire enueloped.

  60 Then panting soft, and trembling euery ioynt,

  Her fearfull feete towards the bowre she moued;

  Where she for secret purpose did appoynt

  To lodge the warlike mayd vnwisely loued,

  And to her bed approching, first she prooued,

  Whether she slept or wakt, with her soft hand

  She softly felt, if any member mooued,

  And lent her wary eare to vnderstand,

  If any puffe of breath, or signe of sence she fond.

  61 Which whenas none she fond, with easie shift,

  For feare least her vnwares she should abrayd,

  Th’embroderd quilt she lightly vp did lift,

  And by her side her selfe she softly layd,

  Of euery finest fingers touch affrayd;

  Ne any noise she made, ne word she spake,

  But inly sigh’d. At last the royall Mayd

  Out of her quiet slomber did awake,

  And chaungd her weary side, the better ease to take.

  62 Where feeling one close couched by her side,

  She lightly lept out of her filed bed,

  And to her weapon ran, in minde to gride

  The loathed leachour. But the Dame halfe ded

  Through suddein feare and ghastly drerihed,

  Did shrieke alowd, that through the house it rong,

  And the whole family therewith adred,

  Rashly out of their rouzed couches sprong,

  And to the troubled chamber all in armes did throng.

  63 And those six Knights that Ladies Champions,

  And eke the Redcrosse knight ran to the stownd,

  Halfe armd and hake vnarmd, with them attons:

  Where when confusedly they came, they fownd

  Their Lady lying on the sencelesse grownd;

  On th’other side, they saw the warlike Mayd

  All in her snow-white smocke, with locks vnbownd,

  Threatning the point of her auenging blade,

  That with so troublous terrour they were all dismayde.

  64 About their Lady first they flockt arownd,

  Whom hauing laid in comfortable couch,

  Shortly they reard out of her frosen swownd;

  And afterwards they gan with fowle reproch

  To stirre vp strife, and troublous contecke broch:

  But by ensample of the last dayes losse,

  None of them rashly durst to her approch,

  Ne in so glorious spoile themselues embosse;

  Her succourd eke the Champion of the bloudy Crosse.

  65 But one of those sixe knights, Gardante hight,

  Drew out a deadly bow and arrow keene,

  Which forth he sent with felonous despight,

  And fell intent against the virgin sheene:

  The mortall steele stayd not, till it was seene

  To gore her side, yet was the wound not deepe,

  But lightly rased her soft silken skin,

  That drops of purple bloud thereout did weepe,

  Which did her lilly smock with staines of vermeil steepe.

  66 Wherewith enrag’d she fiercely at them flew,

  And with her flaming sword about her layd,

  That none of them foule mischiefe could eschew,

  But with her dreadfull strokes were all dismayd:

  Here, there, and euery where about her swayd

  Her wrathfull steele, that none mote it abide;

  And eke the Redcrosse knight gaue her good aid,

  Ay ioyning foot to foot, and side to side,

  That in short space their foes they haue quite terrifide.

  67 Tho whenas all were put to shamefull flight,

  The noble Britomartis her arayd,

  And her bright armes about her body dight:

  For nothing would she lenger there be stayd,

  Where so loose life, and so vngentle trade

  Was vsd of Knights and Ladies seeming gent:

  So earely ere the grosse Earthes gryesy shade,

  Was all dispent out of the firmament,

  They tooke their steeds, & forth vpon their iourney went

  CANTO II

  The Redcrosse knight to Britomart

  describeth Artegall:

  The wondrous myrrhour, by which she

  in hue with him did fall.

  1 Here haue I cause, in men iust blame to find,

  That in their proper prayse too partiall bee,

  And not indifferent to woman kind,

  To whom no share in armes and cheualrie

  They do impart, ne maken memorie

  Of their braue gestes and prowesse martiall;

  Scarse do they spare to one or two or three,

  Rowme in their writs; yet the same writing small

  Does all their deeds deface, and dims their glories all,

  2 But by record of antique times I find,

  That women wont in warres to beare most sway,

  And to all great exploits them selues inclind:

  Of which they still the girlond bore away,

  Till enuious Men fearing their rules decay,

  Gan coyne streight lawes to curb their liberty;

  Yet sith they warlike armes haue layd away:

  They haue exceld in artes and pollicy,

  That now we foolish men that prayse gin eke t’enuy.

  3 Of warlike puissaunce in ages spent,

  Be thou faire Britomart, whose prayse I write,

  But of all wisedome be thou precedent,

  O soueraigne Queene, whose prayse I would endite,

  Endite I would as dewtie doth excite;

  But ah my rimes too rude and rugged arre,

  When in so high an obiect they do lite,

  And striuing, fit to make, I feare do marre:

  Thy selfe thy prayses tell, and make them knowen farre.

  4 She trauelling with Guyon by the way,

  Of sundry things faire purpose gan to find,

  T’abridg their iourney long, and lingring day;

  Mongst which it fell into that Faeries mind,

  To aske this Briton Mayd, what vncouth wind,

  Brought her into those parts, and what inquest

  Made her dissemble her disguised kind:

  Faire Lady she him seemd, like Lady drest,

  But fairest knight aliue, when armed was her brest.

  5 Thereat she sighing softly, had no powre

  To speake a while, ne ready answere make,

  But with hart-thrilling throbs and bitter stowre,

  As if she had a feuer fit, did quake,

  And euery daintie limbe with horrour shake;

  And euer and anone the rosy red,

  Flasht through her face, as it had beene a flake

  Of lightning, through bright heauen fulmined;

  At last the p
assion past she thus him answered.

  6 Faire Sir, I let you weete, that from the howre

  I taken was from nourses tender pap,

  I haue beene trained vp in warlike stowre,

  To tossen speare and shield, and to affrap

  The warlike ryder to his most mishap;

  Sithence I loathed haue my life to lead,

  As Ladies wont, in pleasures wanton lap,

  To finger the fine needle and nyce thread;

  Me leuer were with point of foemans speare be dead.

  7 All my delight on deedes of armes is set,

  To hunt out perils and aduentures hard,

  By sea, by land, where so they may be met,

  Onely for honour and for high regard,

  Without respect of richesse or reward.

  For such intent into these parts I came,

  Withouten compasse, or withouten card,

  Far from my natiue soyle, that is by name

  The greater Britaine, here to seeke for prayse and fame.

  8 Fame blazed hath, that here in Faery lond

  Do many famous Knightes and Ladies wonne,

  And many straunge aduentures to be fond,

  Of which great worth and worship may be wonne;

  Which I to proue, this voyage haue begonne.

  But mote I weet of you, right curteous knight,

  Tydings of one, that hath vnto me donne

  Late foule dishonour and reprochfull spight,

  The which I seeke to wreake, and Arthegall he hight.

  9 The word gone out, she backe againe would call,

  As her repenting so to haue missayd,

  But that he it vp-taking ere the fall,

  Her shortly answered; Faire martiall Mayd

  Certes ye misauised beene, t’vpbrayd

  A gentle knight with so vnknightly blame:

  For weet ye well of all, that euer playd

  At tilt or tourney, or like warlike game,

  The noble Arthegall hath euer borne the name.

  10 For thy great wonder were it, if such shame

  Should euer enter in his bounteous thought,

  Or euer do, that mote deseruen blame:

  The noble courage neuer weeneth ought,

  That may vnworthy of it selfe be thought.

  Therefore, faire Damzell, be ye well aware,

  Least that too farre ye haue your sorrow sought:

  You and your countrey both I wish welfare,

  And honour both; for each of other worthy are.

  11 The royall Mayd woxe inly wondrous glad,

  To heare her Loue so highly magnifide,

  And ioyd that euer she affixed had,

  Her hart on knight so goodly glorifide,

  How euer finely she it faind to hide:

  The louing mother, that nine monethes did beare,

  In the deare closet of her painefull side,

  Her tender babe, it seeing safe appeare,

  Doth not so much reioyce, as she reioyced theare.

  12 But to occasion him to further talke,

  To feed her humour with his pleasing stile,

  Her list in strifull termes with him to balke,

  And thus replide, How euer, Sir, ye file

  Your curteous tongue, his prayses to compile,

  It ill beseemes a knight of gentle sort,

  Such as ye haue him boasted, to beguile

  A simple mayd, and worke so haynous tort,

  In shame of knighthood, as I largely can report.

  13 Let be therefore my vengeaunce to disswade,

  And read, where I that faytour false may find.

  Ah, but if reason faire might you perswade,

  To slake your wrath, and mollifie your mind,

  (Said he) perhaps ye should it better find:

  For hardy thing it is, to weene by might,

  That man to hard conditions to bind,

  Or euer hope to match in equall fight,

  Whose prowesse paragon saw neuer liuing wight.

  14 Ne soothlich is it easie for to read,

  Where now on earth, or how he may be found;

  For he ne wonneth in one certaine stead,

  But restlesse walketh all the world around,

  Ay doing things, that to his fame redound,

  Defending Ladies cause, and Orphans right,

  Where so he heares, that any doth confound

  Them comfortlesse, through tyranny or might;

  So is his soueraine honour raisde to heauens hight.

  15 His feeling words her feeble sence much pleased,

  And softly sunck into her molten hart;

  Hart that is inly hurt, is greatly eased

  With hope of thing, that may allegge his smart;

  For pleasing words are like to Magick art,

  That doth the charmed Snake in slomber lay:

  Such secret ease felt gentle Britomart,

  Yet list the same efforce with faind gainesay;

  So dischord oft in Musick makes the sweeter lay.

  16 And said, Sir knight, these idle termes forbeare,

  And sith it is vneath to find his haunt,

  Tell me some markes, by which he may appeare,

  If chaunce I him encounter parauaunt;

  For perdie one shall other slay, or daunt:

  What shape, what shield, what armes, what steed, what sted,

  And what so else his person most may vaunt?

  All which the Redcrosse knight to point ared,

  And him in euery part before her fashioned.

  17 Yet him in euery part before she knew,

  How euer list her now her knowledge faine,

  Sith him whilome in Britaine she did vew,

  To her reuealed in a mirrhour plaine,

  Whereof did grow her first engraffed paine;

  Whose root and stalke so bitter yet did tast,

  That but the fruit more sweetnesse did containe,

  Her wretched dayes in dolour she mote wast,

  And yield the pray of loue to lothsome death at last.

  18 By strange occasion she did him behold,

  And much more strangely gan to loue his sight,

  As it in bookes hath written bene of old.

  In Deheubarth that now South-wales is hight,

  What time king Ryence raign’d, and dealed right,

  The great Magitian Merlin had deuiz’d,

  By his deepe science, and hell-dreaded might,

  A looking glasse, right wondrously aguiz’d,

  Whose vertues through the wyde world soone were

  [solemniz’d.

  19 It vertue had, to shew in perfect sight,

  What euer thing was in the world contaynd,

  Betwixt the lowest earth and heauens hight,

  So that it to the looker appertaynd;

  What euer foe had wrought, or frend had faynd,

  Therein discouered was, ne ought mote pas,

  Ne ought in secret from the same remaynd;

  For thy it round and hollow shaped was,

  Like to the world it selfe, and seem’d a world of glas.

  20 Who wonders not, that reades so wonderous worke?

  But who does wonder, that has red the Towre,

  Wherein th’Ægyptian Phœo long did lurke

  From all mens vew, that none might her discoure,

  Yet she might all men vew out of her bowre?

  Great Ptolomœe it for his lemans sake

  Ybuilded all of glasse, by Magicke powre,

  And also it impregnable did make;

  Yet when his loue was false, he with a peaze it brake.

  21 Such was the glassie globe that Merlin made,

  And gaue vnto king Ryence for his gard,

  That neuer foes his kingdome might inuade,

  But he it knew at home before he hard

  Tydings thereof, and so them still debar’d.

  It was a famous Present for a Prince,

  And worthy worke of infinite reward,

/>   That treasons could bewray, and foes conuince;

  Happie this Realme, had it remained euer since.

  22 One day it fortuned, faire Britomart

  Into her fathers closet to repayre;

  For nothing he from her reseru’d apart,

  Being his onely daughter and his hayre:

  Where when she had espyde that mirrhour fayre,

  Her selfe a while therein she vewd in vaine;

  Tho her auizing of the vertues rare,

  Which thereof spoken were, she gan againe

  Her to bethinke of, that mote to her selfe pertaine.

  23 But as it falleth, in the gentlest harts

  Imperious Loue hath highest set his throne,

  And tyrannizeth in the bitter smarts

  Of them, that to him buxome are and prone:

  So thought this Mayd (as maydens vse to done)

  Whom fortune for her husband would allot,

  Not that she lusted after any one;

  For she was pure from blame of sinfull blot,

  Yet wist her life at last must lincke in that same knot

  24 Eftsoones there was presented to her eye

  A comely knight, all arm’d in complet wize,

  Through whose bright ventayle lifted vp on hye

  His manly face, that did Ms foes agrize,

  And friends to termes of gentle truce entize,

  Lookt foorth, as Phœbus face out of the east,

  Betwixt two shadie mountaines doth arize;

  Portly his person was, and much increast

  Through his Heroicke grace, and honorable gest.

  25 His crest was couered with a couchant Hound,

  And all his armour seem’d of antique mould,

  But wondrous massie and assured sound,

  And round about yfretted all with gold,

  In which there written was with cyphers old,

  Achilles comes, which Arthegall did win.

  And on his shield enueloped seuenfold

  He bore a crowned litle Ermilin,

  That deckt the azure field with her faire pouldred skin.

  26 The Damzell well did vew his personage,

  And liked well, ne further fastned not,

  But went her way; ne her vnguilty age

  Did weene, vnwares, that her vnlucky lot

  Lay hidden in the bottome of the pot;

  Of hurt vnwist most daunger doth redound:

  But the false Archer, which that arrow shot

  So slyly, that she did not feele the wound,

  Did smyle full smoothly at her weetlesse wofull stound.

  27 Thenceforth the feather in her loftie crest,

  Ruffed of loue, gan lowly to auaile,

  And her proud portance, and her princely gest,

  With which she earst tryumphed, now did quaile:

  Sad, solemne, sowre, and full of fancies fraile

  She woxe; yet wist she neither how, nor why,