The Faerie Queene (45 page)

In whose faire eyes, like lamps of quenched fire,

The Christall humour stood congealed rownd;

His locks, like faded leaues fallen to grownd,

Knotted with bloud, in bounches rudely ran,

And his sweete lips, on which before that stownd

The bud of youth to blossome faire began,

Spoild of their rosie red, were woxen pale and wan.

30
Saw neuer liuing eye more heauy sight,

That could haue made a rocke of stone to rew,

Or riue in twaine: which when that Lady bright

Besides all hope with melting eyes did vew,

All suddeinly abasht she chaunged hew,

And with sterne honour backward gan to start:

But when she better him beheld, she grew

Full of soft passion and vnwonted smart:

The point of pitty perced through her tender hart.

31
Meekely she bowed downe, to weete if life

Yet in his frosen members did remaine,

And feeling by his pulses beating rife,

That the weake soule her seat did yet retaine,

She cast to comfort him with busie paine:

His double folded necke she reard vpright.

And rubd his temples, and each trembling vaine;

His mayled haberieon she did vndight,

And from his head his heauy burganet did light.

32
Into the woods thenceforth in hast she went,

To seeke for hearbes, that mote him remedy;

For she of harbes had great intendiment,

Taught of the Nymphe, which from her infancy

Her nourced had in trew Nobility:

There, whether it diuine
Tobacco
were,

Or
Panachœa,
or
Polygony,

She found, and brought it to her patient deare

Who al this while lay bleeding out his hart-bloud neare.

33
The soueraigne weede betwixt two marbles plaine

She pownded small, and did in peeces bruze,

And then atweene her lilly handes twaine,

Into his wound the iuyce thereof did scruze,

And round about, as she could well it vze,

The flesh therewith she suppled and did steepe,

T'abate all spasme, and soke the swelling bruze,

And after hauing searcht the intuse deepe,

She with her scarfe did bind the wound from cold to keepe.

34
By this he had sweet life recur'd againe,

And groning inly deepe, at last his eyes,

His watry eyes, drizling like deawy raine,

He vp gan lift toward the azure skies,

From whence descend all hopelesse remedies:

Therewith he sigh'd, and turning him aside,

The goodly Mayd full of diuinities,

And gifts of heauenly grace he by him spide,

Her bow and gilden quiuer lying him beside.

35
Mercy deare Lord (said he) what grace is this,

That thou hast shewed to me sinfull wight,

To send thine Angell from her bowre of blis,

To comfort me in my distressed plight?

Angell, or Goddesse do I call thee right?

What seruice may I do vnto thee meete,

That hast from darkenesse me returnd to light,

And with thy heauenly salues and med'cines sweete,

Hast drest my sinfull wounds? I kisse thy blessed feete.

36
Thereat she blushing said, Ah gentle Squire,

Nor Goddesse I, nor Angell, but the Mayd,

And daughter of a woody Nymphe, desire

No seruice, but thy safety and ayd;

Which if thou gaine, I shalbe well apayd.

We mortall wights, whose liues and fortunes bee

To commun accidents still open layd,

Are bound with commun bond of frailtee,

To succour wretched wights, whom we captiued see.

37
By this her Damzels, which the former chace

Had vndertaken after her arriu'd,

As did
Belphœbe,
in the bloudy place,

And thereby deemd the beast had bene depriu'd

Of life, whom late their Ladies arrow ryu'd:

For thy the bloudy tract they followd fast,

And euery one to runne the swiftest stryu'd;

But two of them the rest far ouerpast,

And where their Lady was, arriued at the last.

38
Where when they saw that goodly boy, with blood

Defowled, and their Lady dresse his wownd,

They wondred much, and shortly vnderstood,

How him in deadly case their Lady fownd,

And reskewed out of the heauy stownd.

Eftsoones his warlike courser, which was strayd

Farre in the woods, whiles that he lay in swownd,

She made those Damzels search, which being stayd,

They did him set thereon, and forth with them conuayd.

39
Into that forest farre they thence him led,

Where was their dwelling, in a pleasant glade,

With mountaines round about enuironed,

And mighty woods, which did the valley shade,

And like a stately Theatre it made,

Spreading it selfe into a spatious plaine.

And in the midst a little riuer plaide

Emongst the pumy stones, which seemd to plaine

With gentle murmure, that his course they did restraine.

40
Beside the same a dainty place there lay,

Planted with mirtle trees and laurels greene,

In which the birds song many a louely lay

Of gods high prayse, and of their loues sweet teene

As it an earthly Paradize had beene:

In whose enclosed shadow there was pight

A faire Pauilion, scarcely to be seene,

The which was all within most richly dight,

That greatest Princes liuing it mote well delight.

41
Thither they brought that wounded Squire, and layd

In easie couch his feeble limbes to rest;

He rested him a while, and then the Mayd

His ready wound with better salues new drest;

Dayly she dressed him, and did the best

His grieuous hurt to garish, that she might,

That shortly she his dolour hath redrest,

And his foule sore reduced to faire plight:

It she reduced, but himselfe destroyed quight.

42
O foolish Physick, and vnfruitfull paine,

That heales vp one and makes another wound:

She his hurt thigh to him recur'd againe,

But hurt his hart, the which before was sound,

Through an vnwary dart, which did rebound

From her faire eyes and gracious countenaunce.

What bootes it him from death to be vnbound,

To be captiued in endlesse duraunce

Of sorrow and despaire without aleggeaunce?

43
Still as his wound did gather, and grow hole,

So still his hart woxe sore, and health decayd:

Madnesse to saue a part, and lose the whole.

Still whenas he beheld the heauenly Mayd,

Whiles dayly plaisters to his wound she layd,

So still his Malady the more increast,

The whiles her matchlesse beautie him dismayd.

Ah God, what other could he do at least,

But loue so faire a Lady, that his life releast?

44
Long while he stroue in his courageous brest,

With reason dew the passion to subdew,

And loue for to dislodge out of his nest:

Still when her excellencies he did vew,

Her soueraigne bounty, and celestiall hew,

The same to loue he strongly was constraind:

But when his meane estate he did reuew,

He from such hardy boldnesse was restraind,

And of his lucklesse lot and cruell loue thus plaind.

45
Vnthankfull wretch (said he) is this the meed,

With which her soueraigne mercy thou doest quight?

Thy life she saued by her gracious deed,

But thou doest weene with villeinous despight,

To blot her honour, and her heauenly light.

Dye rather, dye, then so disloyally

Deeme of her high desert, or seeme so light:

Faire death it is to shonne more shame, to dy:

Dye rather, dy, then euer loue disloyally.

46
But if to loue disloyalty it bee,

Shall I then hate her, that from deathes dore

Me brought? ah farre be such reproch fro mee.

What can I lesse do, then her loue therefore,

Sith I her dew reward cannot restore:

Dye rather, dye, and dying do her serue,

Dying her serue, and liuing her adore;

Thy life she gaue, thy life she doth deserue:

Dye rather, dye, then euer from her seruice swerue.

47
But foolish boy, what bootes thy seruice bace

To her, to whom the heauens do serue and sew?

Thou a meane Squire, of meeke and lowly place,

She heauenly borne, and of celestiall hew.

How then? of all loue taketh equall vew:

And doth not highest God vouchsafe to take

The loue and seruice of the basest crew?

If she will not, dye meekly for her sake;

Dye rather, dye, then euer so faire loue forsake.

48
Thus warreid he long time against his will,

Till that through weaknesse he was forst at last,

To yield himselfe vnto the mighty ill:

Which as a victour proud, gan ransack fast

His inward parts, and all his entrayles wast,

That neither bloud in face, nor life in hart

It left, but both did quite drye vp, and blast;

As percing leuin, which the inner part

Of euery thing consumes, and calcineth by art.

49
Which seeing faire
Belphœbe,
gan to feare,

Least that his wound were inly well not healed,

Or that the wicked steele empoysned were:

Litle she weend, that loue he close concealed;

Yet still he wasted, as the snow congealed,

When the bright sunne his beams thereon doth beat;

Yet neuer he his hart to her reuealed,

But rather chose to dye for sorrow great,

Then with dishonorable termes her to entreat.

50
She gracious Lady, yet no paines did spare,

To do him ease, or do him remedy:

Many Restoratiues of vertues rare,

And costly Cordialles she did apply,

To mitigate his stubborne mallady:

But that sweet Cordiall, which can restore

A loue-sick hart, she did to him enuy;

To him, and to all th'vnworthy world forlore

She did enuy that soueraigne salue, in secret store.

51
That dainty Rose, the daughter of her Morne,

More deare then life she tendered, whose flowre

The girlond of her honour did adorne:

Ne suffred she the Middayes scorching powre,

Ne the sharp Northerne wind thereon to showre,

But lapped vp her silken leaues most chaire,

When so the froward skye began to lowre:

But soone as calmed was the Christall aire,

She did it faire dispred, and let to florish faire.

52
Eternall God in his almighty powre,

To make ensample of his heauenly grace,

In Paradize whilome did plant this flowre,

Whence he it fetcht out of her natiue place,

And did in stocke of earthly flesh enrace,

That mortall men her glory should admire

In gentle Ladies brest, and bounteous race

Of woman kind it fairest flowre doth spire,

And beareth fruit of honour and all chast desire.

53
Faire ympes of beautie, whose bright shining beames

Adorne the world with like to heauenly light,

And to your willes both royalties and Realmes

Subdew, through conquest of your wondrous might,

With this faire flowre your goodly girlonds dight,

Of chastity and vertue virginall,

That shall embellish more your beautie bright,

And crowne your heades with heauenly coronall,

Such as the Angels weare before Gods tribunall.

54
To your faire selues a faire ensample frame,

Of this faire virgin, this
Belphœbe
faire,

To whom in perfect loue, and spotlesse fame

Of chastitie, none liuing may compaire:

Ne poysnous Enuy iustly can empaire

The prayse of her fresh flowring Maidenhead;

For thy she standeth on the highest staire

Of th'honorable stage of womanhead,

That Ladies all may follow her ensample dead.

55
In so great prayse of stedfast chastity,

Nathlesse she was so curteous and kind,

Tempred with grace, and goodly modesty,

That seemed those two vertues stroue to find

The higher place in her Heroick mind:

So striuing each did other more augment,

And both encreast the prayse of woman kind,

And both encreast her beautie excellent;

So all did make in her a perfect complement.

The birth of faire Belphœbe and
   Of Amoret is told.
The Gardins of Adonis fraught
   With pleasures manifold.

1
Well may I weene, faire Ladies, all this while

Ye wonder, how this noble Damozell

So great perfections did in her compile,

Sith that in saluage forests she did dwell,

So farre from court and royall Citadell,

The great schoolmistresse of all curtesy:

Seemeth that such wild woods should far expell,

All ciuill vsage and gentility,

And gentle sprite deforme with rude rusticity.

2
But to this faire
Belphœbe
in her berth

The heauens so fauourable were and free,

Looking with myld aspect vpon the earth,

In th'
Horoscope
of her natiuitee,

That all the gifts of grace and chastitee

On her they poured forth of plenteous horne;

Ioue
laught on
Venus
from his soueraigne see,

And
Phœbus
with faire beames did her adorne,

And all the
Graces
rockt her cradle being borne.

3
Her berth was of the wombe of Morning dew,

And her conception of the ioyous Prime,

And all her whole creation did her shew

Pure and vnspotted from all loathly crime,

That is ingenerate in fleshly slime.

So was this virgin borne, so was she bred,

So was she trayned vp from time to time,

In all chast vertue, and true bounti-hed

Till to her dew perfection she was ripened.

4
Her mother was the faire
Chrysogonee,

The daughter
of Amphisa,
who by race

A Faerie was, yborne of high degree,

She bore
Belphœbe,
she bore in like cace

Faire
Amoretta
in the second place:

These two were twinnes, & twixt them two did share

The heritage of all celestiall grace.

That all the rest it seem'd they robbed bare

Of bountie, and of beautie, and all vertues rare.

5
It were a goodly storie, to declare,

By what straunge accident faire
Chrysogone

Conceiu'd these infants, and how them she bare,

In this wild forrest wandring all alone,

After she had nine moneths fulfild and gone:

For not as other wemens commune brood,

They were enwombed in the sacred throne

Of her chaste bodie, nor with commune food,

As other wemens babes, they sucked vitall blood.

6
But wondrously they were begot, and bred

Through influence of th'heauens fruitfull ray,

As it in antique bookes is mentioned.

It was vpon a Sommers shynie day,

When
Titan
faire his beames did display,

In a fresh fountaine, farre from all mens vew,

She bath'd her brest, the boyling heat t'allay;

She bath'd with roses red, and violets blew,

And all the sweetest flowres, that in the forrest grew.

7
Till faint through irkesome wearinesse, adowne

Vpon the grassie ground her selfe she layd

To sleepe, the whiles a gentle slombring swowne

Vpon her fell all naked bare displayd;

The sunne-beames bright vpon her body playd,

Being through former bathing mollifide,

And pierst into her wombe, where they embayd

With so sweet sence and secret power vnspide,

That in her pregnant flesh they shortly fructifide.

8
Miraculous may seeme to him, that reades

So straunge ensample of conception;

But reason teacheth that the fruitfull seades

Of all things liuing, through impression

Of the sunbeames in moyst complexion,

Doe life conceiue and quickned are by kynd:

So after
Nilus
invndation,

Infinite shapes of creatures men do fynd,

Informed in the mud, on which the Sunne hath shynd.

9
Great rather he of generation

Is rightly cald, th'author of life and light;

And his faire sister for creation

Ministreth matter fit, which tempred right

With heate and humour, breedes the liuing wight.

So sprong these twinnes in wombe of
Chrysogone,

Yet wist she nought thereof, but sore affright,

Wondred to see her belly so vpblone,

Which still increast, till she her terme had full outgone.

10
Whereof concerning shame and foule disgrace,

Albe her guiltlesse conscience her cleard,

She fled into the wildernesse a space,

Till that vnweeldy burden she had reard,

And shund dishonor, which as death she feard:

Where wearie of long trauell, downe to rest

Her selfe she set, and comfortably cheard;

There a sad cloud of sleepe her ouerkest,

And seized euery sense with sorrow sore opprest.

11
It fortuned, faire
Venus
hauing lost

Her little sonne, the winged god of loue,

Who for some light displeasure, which him crost,

Was from her fled, as flit as ayerie Doue,

And left her blisfull bowre of ioy aboue,

(So from her often he had fled away,

When she for ought him sharpely did reproue,

And wandred in the world in strange aray,

Disguiz'd in thousand shapes, that none might him bewray.)

12
Him for to seeke, she left her heauenly hous,

The house of goodly formes and faire aspects,

Whence all the world deriues the glorious

Features of beauties, and all shapes select,

With which high God his workmanship hath deckt;

And searched euery way, through which his wings

Had borne him, or his tract she mote detect:

She promist kisses sweet, and sweeter things

Vnto the man, that of him tydings to her brings.

13
First she him sought in Court, where most he vsed

Whylome to haunt, but there she found him not;

But many there she found, which sore accused

His falsehood, and with foule infamous blot

His cruell deedes and wicked wyles did spot:

Ladies and Lords she euery where mote heare

Complayning, how with his empoysned shot

Their wofull harts he wounded had whyleare,

And so had left them languishing twixt hope and feare.

14
She then the Citties sought from gate to gate,

And euery one did aske, did he him see;

And euery one her answerd, that too late

He had him seene, and felt the crueltie

Of his sharpe darts and whot artillerie;

And euery one threw forth reproches rife

Of his mischieuous deedes, and said, That hee

Was the disturber of all ciuill life,

The enimy of peace, and author of all strife.

15
Then in the countrey she abroad him sought,

And in the rurall cottages inquired,

Where also many plaints to her were brought,

How he their heedlesse harts with loue had fyred,

And his false venim through their veines inspyred;

And eke the gentle shepheard swaynes, which sat

Keeping their fleecie flockes, as they were hyred,

She sweetly heard complaine, both how and what

Her sonne had to them doen; yet she did smile thereat.

16
But when in none of all these she him got,

She gan auize, where else he mote him hyde:

At last she her bethought, that she had not

Yet sought the saluage woods and forrests wyde,

In which full many louely Nymphes abyde,

Mongst whom might be, that he did closely lye,

Or that the loue of some of them him tyde:

For thy she thither cast her course t'apply,

To search the secret haunts
of Dianes
company.

17
Shortly vnto the wastefull woods she came,

Whereas she found the Goddesse with her crew,

After late chace of their embrewed game,

Sitting beside a fountaine in a rew,

Some of them washing with the liquid dew

From off their dainty limbes the dustie sweat,

And soyle which did deforme their liuely hew,

Others lay shaded from the scorching heat;

The rest vpon her person gaue attendance great.

18
She hauing hong vpon a bough on high

Her bow and painted quiuer, had vnlaste

Her siluer buskins from her nimble thigh,

And her lancke loynes vngirt, and brests vnbraste,

After her heat the breathing cold to taste;

Her golden lockes, that late in tresses bright

Embreaded were for hindring of her haste,

Now loose about her shoulders hong vndight,

And were with sweet
Ambrosia
all besprinckled light.

19
Soone as she
Venus
saw behind her backe,

She was asham'd to be so loose surprized

And woxe halfe wroth against her damzels slacke,

That had not her thereof before auized,

But suffred her so carelesly disguized

Be ouertaken. Soone her garments loose

Vpgath'ring, in her bosome she comprized,

Well as she might, and to the Goddesse rose,

Whiles all her Nymphes did like a girlond her enclose.

20
Goodly she gan faire
Cytherea
greet,

And shortly asked her, what cause her brought

Into that wildernesse for her vnmeet,

From her sweete bowres, and beds with pleasures fraught:

That suddein change she strange aduenture thought.

To whom halfe weeping, she thus answered,

That she her dearest sonne
Cupido
sought,

Who in his frowardnesse from her was fled;

That she repented sore, to haue him angered.

21
Thereat
Diana
gan to smile, in scorne

Of her vaine plaint, and to her scoffing sayd;

Great pittie sure, that ye be so forlorne

Of your gay sonne, that giues ye so good ayd

To your disports: ill mote ye bene apayd.

But she was more engrieued, and replide;

Faire sister, ill beseemes it to vpbrayd

A dolefull heart with so disdainfull pride;

The like that mine, may be your paine another tide.

22
As you in woods and wanton wildernesse

Your glory set, to chace the saluage beasts,

So my delight is all in ioyfulnesse,

In beds, in bowres, in banckets, and in feasts:

And ill becomes you with your loftie creasts,

To scorne the ioy, that
Ioue
is glad to seeke;

We both are bound to follow heauens beheasts,

And tend our charges with obeisance meeke:

Spare, gentle sister, with reproch my paine to eeke.

23
And tell me, if that ye my sonne haue heard,

To lurke emongst your Nymphes in secret wize;

Or keepe their cabins: much I am affeard,

Least he like one of them him selfe disguize,

And turne his arrowes to their exercize:

So may he long himselfe full easie hide:

For he is faire and fresh in face and guize,

As any Nymph (let not it be enuyde.)

So saying euery Nymph full narrowly she eyde.

24
But
Phœbe
therewith sore was angered,

And sharply said; Goe Dame, goe seeke your boy,

Where you him lately left, in
Mars
his bed;

He comes not here, we scorne his foolish ioy,

Ne lend we leisure to his idle toy:

But if I catch him in this company,

By
Stygian
lake I vow, whose sad annoy

The Gods doe dread, he dearely shall abye:

Ile clip his wanton wings, that he no more shall fly.

25
Whom when as
Venus
saw so sore displeased,

She inly sory was, and gan relent,

What she had said: so her she soone appeased,

With sugred words and gentle blandishment,

Which as a fountaine from her sweet lips went,

And welled goodly forth, that in short space

She was well pleasd, and forth her damzels sent,

Through all the woods, to search firom place to place,

If any tract of him or tydings they mote trace.

26
To search the God of loue, her Nymphes she sent

Throughout the wandring forrest euery where:

And after them her selfe eke with her went

To seeke the fugitiue, both farre and nere,

So long they sought, till they arriued were

In that same shadie couert, whereas lay

Faire
Crysogone
in slombry traunce whilere:

Who in her sleepe (a wondrous thing to say)

Vnwares had borne two babes, as faire as springing day.

27
Vnwares she them conceiu'd, vnwares she bore:

She bore withouten paine, that she conceiued

Withouten pleasure: ne her need implore

Lucinaes
aide: which when they both perceiued,

They were through wonder nigh of sense bereaued,

And gazing each on other, nought bespake:

At last they both agreed, her seeming grieued

Out of her heauy swowne not to awake,

But from her louing side the tender babes to take.

28
Vp they them tooke, each one a babe vptooke,

And with them carried, to be fostered;

Dame
Phœbe
to a Nymph her babe betooke,

To be vpbrought in perfect Maydenhed,

And of her selfe her name
Belphœbe
red:

But
Venus
hers thence farre away conuayd,

To be vpbrought in goodly womanhed,

And in her litle loues stead, which was strayd,