The Faerie Queene (36 page)

Who taking it out of her tender hond,

The cup to ground did violently cast,

That all in peeces it was broken fond,

And with the liquor stained all the lond:

Whereat
Excesse
exceedingly was wroth,

Yet no'te the same amend, ne yet withstand,

But suffered him to passe, all were she loth;

Who not regarding her displeasure forward goth.

58
There the most daintie Paradise on ground,

It selfe doth offer to his sober eye,

In which all pleasures plenteously abound,

And none does others happinesse enuye:

The painted flowres, the trees vpshooting hye,

The dales for shade, the hilles for breathing space,

The trembling groues, the Christall running by;

And that, which all faire workes doth most aggrace,

The art, which all that wrought, appeared in no place.

59
One would haue thought, (so cunningly, the rude,

And scorned parts were mingled with the fine,)

That nature had for wantonesse ensude

Art, and that Art at nature did repine;

So striuing each th'other to vndermine,

Each did the others worke more beautifie;

So diff'ring both in willes, agreed in fine:

So all agreed through sweete diuersitie,

This Gardin to adorne with all varietie.

60
And in the midst of all, a fountaine stood,

Of richest substaunce, that on earth might bee,

So pure and shiny, that the siluer flood

Through euery channell running one might see;

Most goodly it with curious imageree

Was ouer-wrought, and shapes of naked boyes,

Of which some seemd with liuely iollitee,

To fly about, playing their wanton toyes,

Whilest others did them selues embay in liquid ioyes.

61
And ouer all, of purest gold was spred,

A trayle of yuie in his natiue hew:

For the rich mettall was so coloured,

That wight, who did not well auis'd it yew,

Would surely deeme it to be yuie trew:

Low his lasciuious armes adown did creepe,

That themselues dipping in the siluer dew,

Their fleecy flowres they tenderly did steepe,

Which drops of Christall seemd for wantones to weepe.

62
Infinit streames continually did well

Out of this fountaine, sweet and faire to see,

The which into an ample lauer fell,

And shortly grew to so great quantitie,

That like a little lake it seemd to bee;

Whose depth exceeded not three cubits hight,

That through the waues one might the bottom see,

All pau'd beneath with Iaspar shining bright,

That seemd the fountaine in that sea did sayle vpright.

63
And all the margent round about was set,

With shady Laurell trees, thence to defend

The sunny beames, which on the billowes bet,

And those which therein bathed, mote offend.

As
Guyon
hapned by the same to wend,

Two naked Damzelles he therein espyde,

Which therein bathing, seemed to contend,

And wrestle wantonly, ne car'd to hyde,

Their dainty parts from vew of any, which them eyde.

64
Sometimes the one would lift the other quight

Aboue the waters, and then downe againe

Her plong, as ouer maistered by might,

Where both awhile would couered remaine,

And each the other from to rise restraine;

The whiles their snowy limbes, as through a vele,

So through the Christall waues appeared plaine:

Then suddeinly both would themselues vnhele,

And th'amarous sweet spoiles to greedy eyes reuele.

65
As that faire Starre, the messenger of morne,

His deawy face out of the sea doth reare:

Or as the
Cyprian
goddesse, newly borne

Of th
^,
Oceans fruitfull froth, did first appeare:

Such seemed they, and so their yellow heare

Christalline humour dropped downe apace.

Whom such when
Guyon
saw, he drew him neare,

And somewhat gan relent his earnest pace,

His stubborne brest gan secret pleasaunce to embrace.

66
The wanton Maidens him espying, stood

Gazing a while at his vnwonted guise;

Then th'one her selfe low ducked in the flood,

Abasht, that her a straunger did avise:

But th'other rather higher did arise,

And her two lilly paps aloft displayd,

And all, that might his melting hart entise

To her delights, she vnto him bewrayd:

The rest hid vnderneath, him more desirous made.

67
With that, the other likewise vp arose,

And her faire lockes, which formerly were bownd

Vp in one knot, she low adowne did lose:

Which flowing long and thick, her cloth'd arownd,

And th'yuorie in golden mantle gownd:

So that faire spectacle from him was reft,

Yet that, which reft it, no lesse faire was fownd:

So hid in lockes and waues from lookers theft,

Nought but her louely face she for his looking left.

68
Withall she laughed, and she blusht withall,

That blushing to her laughter gaue more grace,

And laughter to her blushing, as did fall:

Now when they spide the knight to slacke his pace,

Them to behold, and in his sparkling face

The secret signes of kindled lust appeare,

Their wanton meriments they did encreace,

And to him beckned, to approch more neare,

And shewd him many sights, that courage cold could reare.

69
On which when gazing him the Palmer saw,

He much rebukt those wandring eyes of his,

And counseld well, him forward thence did draw.

Now are they come nigh to the
Bowre of blis

Of her fond fauorites so nam'd a mis:

When thus the Palmer; Now Sir, well auise;

For here the end of all our trauell is:

Here wonnes
Acrasia,
whom we must surprise,

Else she will slip away, and all our drift despise.

70
Eftsoones they heard a most melodious sound,

Of all that mote delight a daintie eare,

Such as attonce might not on liuing ground,

Saue in this Paradise, be heard elswhere:

Right hard it was, for wight, which did it heare,

To read, what manner musicke that mote bee:

For all that pleasing is to liuing eare,

Was there consorted in one harmonee,

Birdes, voyces, instruments, windes, waters, all agree.

71
The ioyous birdes shrouded in chearefull shade,

Their notes vnto the voyce attempred sweet;

Th'Angelicall soft trembling voyces made

To th'instruments diuine respondence meet:

The siluer sounding instruments did meet

With the base murmure of the waters fall:

The waters fall with difference discreet,

Now soft, now loud, vnto the wind did call:

The gentle warbling wind low answered to all.

72
There, whence that Musick seemed heard to bee,

Was the faire Witch her selfe now solacing,

With a new Louer, whom through sorceree

And witchcraft, she from farre did thither bring:

There she had him now layd a slombering,

In secret shade, after long wanton ioyes:

Whilst round about them pleasauntly did sing

Many faire Ladies, and lasciuious boyes,

That euer mixt their song with light licentious toyes.

73
And all that while, right ouer him she hong,

With her false eyes fast fixed in his sight,

As seeking medicine, whence she was stong,

Or greedily depasturing delight:

And oft inclining downe with kisses light,

For feare of waking him, his lips bedewd,

And through his humid eyes did sucke his spright,

Quite molten into lust and pleasure lewd;

Wherewith she sighed soft, as if his case she rewd.

74
The whiles some one did chaunt this louely lay;

Ah see, who so faire thing doest faine to see,

In springing flowre the image of thy day;

Ah see the Virgin Rose, how sweetly shee

Doth first peepe forth with bashfull modestee,

That fairer seemes, the lesse ye see her may;

Lo see soone after, how more bold and free

Her bared bosome she doth broad display;

Loe see soone after, how she fades, and falles away.

75
So passeth, in the passing of a day,

Of mortall life the leafe, the bud, the flowre,

Ne more doth flourish after first decay,

That earst was sought to decke both bed and bowre,

Of many a Ladie, and many a Paramowre:

Gather therefore the Rose, whilest yet is prime,

For soone comes age, that will her pride deflowre:

Gather the Rose of loue, whilest yet is time,

Whilest louing thou mayst loued be with equall crime.

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He ceast, and then gan all the quire of birdes

Their diuerse notes t'attune vnto his lay,

As in approuance of bis pleasing words.

The constant paire heard all, that he did say,

Yet swarued not, but kept their forward way,

Through many couert groues, and thickets close,

In which they creeping did at last display

That wanton Ladie, with her louer lose,

Whose sleepie head she in her lap did soft dispose.

77
Vpon a bed of Roses she was layd,

As faint through heat, or dight to pleasant sin,

And was arayd, or rather disarayd,

All in a vele of silke and siluer thin.

That hid no whit her alablaster skin,

But rather shewd more white, if more might bee:

More subtile web
Arachne
can not spin,

Nor the fine nets, which oft we wouen see

Of scorched deaw, do not in th'aire more lightly flee.

78
Her snowy brest was bare to readie spoyle

Of hungry eies, which n'ote therewith be fild,

And yet through languour of her late sweet toyle,

Few drops, more cleare then Nectar, forth distild,

That like pure Orient perles adowne it trild,

And her faire eyes sweet smyling in delight,

Moystened their fierie beames, with which she thrild

Fraile harts, yet quenched not; like starry light

Which sparckling on the silent waues, does seeme more bright.

79
The young man sleeping by her, seemd to bee

Some goodly swayne of honorable place,

That certes it great pittie was to see

Him his nobilitie so foule deface;

A sweet regard, and amiable grace,

Mixed with manly sternnesse did appeare

Yet sleeping, in his well proportiond face,

And on his tender lips the downy heare

Did now but freshly spring, and silken blossomes beare.

80
His warlike armes, the idle instruments

Of sleeping praise, were hong vpon a tree,

And his braue shield, full of gold moniments,

Was fowly ra'st, that none the signes might see;

Ne for them, ne for honour cared hee,

Ne ought, that did to his aduauncement tend,

But in lewd loues, and wastfull luxuree,

His dayes, his goods, his bodie he did spend:

O horrible enchantment, that him so did blend.

81
The noble Elfe, and carefull Palmer drew

So nigh them, minding nought, but lustfull game,

That suddein forth they on them rusht, and threw

A subtile net, which onely for the same

The skilfull Palmer formally did frame.

So held them vnder fast, the whiles the rest

Fled all away for feare of fowler shame.

The faire Enchauntresse, so vnwares opprest,

Tryde all her arts, & all her sleights, thence out to wrest.

82
And eke her louer stroue: but all in vaine;

For that same net so cunningly was wound,

That neither guile, nor force might it distraine.

They tooke them both, & both them strongly bound

In captiue bandes, which there they readie found:

But her in chaines of adamant he tyde;

For nothing else might keepe her safe and sound;

But
Verdant
(so he bight) he soone vntyde,

And counsell sage in steed thereof to him applyde.

83
But all those pleasant bowres and Pallace braue,

Guyon
broke downe, with rigour pittilesse;

Ne ought their goodly workmanship might saue

Them from the tempest of his wrathfulnesse,

But that their blisse he turn'd to balefulnesse:

Their groues he feld, their gardins did deface,

Their arbers spoyle, their Cabinets suppresse,

Their banket houses burne, their buildings race.

And of the fairest late, now made the fowlest place.

84
Then led they her away, and eke that knight

They with them led, both sorrowfull and sad:

The way they came, the same retourn'd they right,

Till they arriued, where they lately had

Charm'd those wild-beasts, that rag'd with furie mad.

Which now awaking, fierce at them gan fly,

As in their mistresse reskew, whom they laid;

But them the Palmer soone did pacify.

Then
Guyon
askt, what meant those beastes, which there did ly.

85
Said he, these seeming beasts are men indeed,

Whom this Enchauntresse hath transformed thus,

Whylome her louers, which her lusts did feed,

Now turned into figures hideous,

According to their mindes like monstruous.

Sad end (quoth he) of life intemperate,