The Faerie Queene (50 page)

The wicked engine through false influence,

Past through his eyes, and secretly did glyde

Into his hart, which it did sorely gryde.

But nothing new to him was that same paine,

Ne paine at all; for he so oft had tryde

The powre thereof, and lou'd so oft in vaine,

That thing of course he counted, loue to entertaine.

30
Thenceforth to her he sought to intimate

His inward griefe, by meanes to him well knowne,

Now
Bacchus
fruit out of the siluer plate

He on the table dasht, as ouerthrowne,

Or of the fruitfull h'quor ouerflowne,

And by the dauncing bubbles did diuine,

Or therein write to let his loue be showne;

Which well she red out of the learned line,

A sacrament prophane in mistery of wine.

31
And when so of his hand the pledge she raught,

The guilty cup she fained to mistake,

And in her lap did shed her idle draught,

Shewing desire her inward flame to slake:

By such close signes they secret way did make

Vnto their wils, and one eyes watch escape;

Two eyes him needeth, for to watch and wake,

Who louers will deceiue. Thus was the ape,

By their faire handling, put into
Malbeccoes
cape.

32
Now when of meats and drinks they had their fill,

Purpose was moued by that gentle Dame,

Vnto those knights aduenturous, to tell

Of deeds of armes, which vnto them became,

And euery one his kindred, and his name.

Then
Paridell,
in whom a kindly pryde

Of gracious speach, and skill his words to frame

Abounded, being glad of so fit tyde

Him to commend to her, thus spake, of all well eyde.

33
Troy,
that art now nought, but an idle name,

And in thine ashes buried low dost lie,

Though whilome far much greater then thy fame,

Before that angry Gods, and cruell skye

Vpon thee heapt a direfull destinie,

What boots it boast thy glorious descent,

And fetch from heauen thy great Genealogie,

Sith all thy worthy prayses being blent,

Their of-spring hath embaste, and later glory shent.

34
Most famous Worthy of the world, by whome

That warre was kindled, which did
Troy
inflame,

And stately towres
of Ilion
whilome

Brought vnto balefull mine, was by name

Sir
Paris
far renowmd through noble fame,

Who through great prowesse and bold hardinesse,

From
Lacedœmon
fetcht the fairest Dame,

That euer
Greece
did boast, or knight possesse,

Whom
Venus
to him gaue for meed of worthinesse.

35
Faire
Helene,
flowre of beautie excellent,

And girlond of the mighty Conquerours,

That madest many Ladies deare lament

The heauie losse of their braue Paramours,

Which they far off beheld from
Troian
toures,

And saw the fieldes of faire
Scamander
strowne

With carcases of noble warrioures,

Whose fruitlesse h'ues were vnder furrow sowne,

And
Xanthus
sandy bankes with bloud all ouernowne.

36
From him my linage I deriue aright,

Who long before the ten yeares siege of
Troy,

Whiles yet on
Ide
he a shepheard hight,

On faire
Oenone
got a louely boy,

Whom for remembraunce of her passed ioy,

She of his Father
Parius
did name;

Who, after
Greekes
did
Priams
realme destroy,

Gathred the
Troian
reliques sau'd from flame,

And with them sayling thence, to th'Isle
of Paros
came.

37
That was by him cald
Paros
, which before

Hight
Nausa,
there he many yeares did raine,

And built
Nausicle
by the
Pontick
shore,

The which he dying left next in remaine

To
Paridas
his sonne.

From whom I
Paridell
by kin descend;

But for faire Ladies loue, and glories gaine,

My natiue soile haue left, my dayes to spend

In seewing deeds of armes, my liues and labours end.

38
Whenas the noble
Britomart
heard tell

Of
Troian
warres, and
Priams
Citie sackt,

The ruefull story of Sir
Paridell,

She was empassiond at that piteous act,

With zelous enuy of Greekes cruell fact,

Against that nation, from whose race of old

She heard, that she was lineally extract:

For noble
Britons
sprong from
Troians
bold,

And
Troynouant
was built of old
Troyes
ashes cold.

39
Then sighing soft awhile, at last she thus:

O lamentable fall of famous towne,

Which raignd so many yeares victorious,

And of all
Asie
bore the soueraigne crowne,

In one sad night consumd, and throwen downe:

What stony hart, that heares thy haplesse fate,

Is not empierst with deepe compassiowne,

And makes ensample of mans wretched state,

That floures so fresh at morne, and fades at euening late?

40
Behold, Sir, how your pitifull complaint

Hath found another partner of your payne:

For nothing may impresse so deare constraint,

As countries cause, and commune foes disdayne.

But if it should not grieue you, backe agayne

To turne your course, I would to heare desyre,

What to
Aeneas
fell; sith that men sayne

He was not in the Cities wofull fyre

Consum'd, but did him selfe to safetie retyre.

41
Anchyses
sonne begot of
Venus
faire,

(Said he,) out of the flames for safegard fled,

And with a remnant did to sea repaire,

Where he through fatall errour long was led

Full many yeares, and weetlesse wandered

From shore to shore, emongst the Lybicke sands,

Ere rest he found. Much there he suffered,

And many perils past in forreine lands,

To saue his people sad from victours vengefull hands.

42
At last in
Latium
he did arriue,

Where he with cruell warre was entertaind

Of th'inland folke, which sought him backe to driue,

Till he with old
Latinus
was constraind,

To contract wedlock: (so the fates ordaind.)

Wedlock contract in bloud, and eke in blood

Accomplished, that many deare complaind:

The riuall slaine, the victour through the flood

Escaped hardly, hardly praisd his wedlock good.

43
Yet after all, he victour did suruiue,

And with
Latinus
did the kingdome part.

But after, when both nations gan to striue,

Into their names the title to conuart,

His sonne
lülus
did from thence depart,

With all the warlike youth of
Troians
bloud,

And in long
Alba
plast his throne apart,

Where faire it florished, and long time stoud,

Till
Romulus
renewing it, to
Rome
remoud.

44
There there (said
Britomart)
a fresh appeard

The glory of the later world to spring,

And
Troy
againe out of her dust was reard,

To sit in second seat of soueraigne king,

Of all the world vnder her gouerning.

But a third kingdome yet is to arise,

Out of the
Troians
scattered of-spring,

That in all glory and great enterprise,

Both first and second
Troy
shall dare to equalise.

45
It
Troynouant
is hight, that with the waues

Of wealthy
Thamis
washed is along,

Vpon whose stubborne neck, whereat he raues

With roring rage, and sore him selfe does throng,

That all men feare to tempt his billowes strong,

She fastned hath her foot, which standes so hy,

That it a wonder of the world is song

In forreine landes, and all which passen by,

Beholding it from far, do thinke it threates the skye.

46
The
Troian Brute
did first that Citie found,

And Hygate made the meare thereof by West,

And
Ouert
gate by North: that is the bound

Toward the land; two riuers bound the rest.

So huge a scope at first him seemed best,

To be the compasse of his kingdomes seat:

So huge a mind could not in lesser rest,

Ne in small meares containe his glory great,

That
Albion
had conquered first by warlike feat.

47
Ah fairest Lady knight, (said
Paridell)

Pardon I pray my heedlesse ouersight,

Who had forgot, that whilome I heard tell

From aged
Mnemon;
for my wits bene light.

Indeed he said (if I remember right,)

That of the antique
Troian
stocke, there grew

Another plant, that raught to wondrous hight,

And far abroad his mighty branches threw,

Into the vtmost Angle of the world he knew.

48
For that same
Brute,
whom much he did aduaunce

In all his speach, was
Syluius
his sonne,

Whom hauing slaine, through luckles arrowes glaunce

He fled for feare of that he had misdonne,

Or else for shame, so fowle reproch to shonne,

And with him led to sea an youthly trayne,

Where wearie wandring they long time did wonne,

And many fortunes prou'd in th
'Ocean
mayne,

And great aduentures found, that now were long to sayne.

49
At last by fatall course they driuen were

Into an Island spatious and brode,

The furthest North, that did to them appeare:

Which after rest they seeking far abrode,

Found it the fittest soyle for their abode,

Fruitfull of all things fit for liuing foode,

But wholy wast, and void of peoples trode,

Saue an huge nation of the Geaunts broode,

That fed on liuing flesh, & druncke mens vitall blood.

50
Whom he through wearie wars and labours long,

Subdewd with losse of many
Britons
bold:

In which the great
Goemagot
of strong

Corineus,
and
Coulin af Debon
old

Were ouerthrowne, and layd on th'earth full cold,

Which quaked vnder their so hideous masse,

A famous history to be enrold

In euerlasting moniments of brasse,

That all the antique Worthies merits far did passe.

51
His worke great
Troynouant,
his worke is eke

Faire
Lincolne,
both renowmed far away,

That who from East to West will endlong seeke,

Cannot two fairer Cities find this day,

Except
Cleopolis:
so heard I say

Old
Mnemon.
Therefore Sir, I greet you well

Your countrey kin, and you entirely pray

Of pardon for the strife, which late befell

Betwixt vs both vnknowne. So ended
Paridell.

52
But all the while, that he these speeches spent,

Vpon his lips hong faire Dame
Hellenore,

With vigilant regard, and dew attent,

Fashioning worlds of fancies euermore

In her fraile wit, that now her quite forlore:

The whiles vnwares away her wondring eye,

And greedy eares her weake hart from her bore:

Which he perceiuing, euer priuily

In speaking, many false belgardes at her let fly.

53
So long these knights discoursed diuersly,

Of straunge affaires, and noble hardiment,

Which they had past with mickle ieopardy,

That now the humid night was farforth spent,

And heauenly lampes were halfendeale ybrent:

Which th'old man seeing well, who too long thought

Euery discourse and euery argument,

Which by the houres he measured, besought

Them go to rest. So all vnto their bowres were brought

Paridell rapeth Hellenore:
   Malbecco her pursewes:
Findes emongst Satyres, whence with him
   To turne she doth refuse.

1
The morow next, so soone as
Phœbus
Lamp

Bewrayed had the world with early light,

And fresh
Aurora
had the shady damp

Out of the goodly heauen amoued quight,

Faire
Britomart
and that same
Faerie
knight

Vprose, forth on their iourney for to wend:

But
Paridell
complaynd, that his late fight

With
Britomart,
so sore did him offend,

That ryde he could not, till his hurts he did amend.

2
So forth they far'd, but he behind them stayd,

Maulgre his host, who grudged grieuously,

To house a guest, that would be needes obayd,

And of his owne him left not liberty:

Might wanting measure moueth surquedry.

Two things he feared, but the third was death;

That fierce youngmans vnruly maistery;

His money, which he lou'd as liuing breath;

And his faire wife, whom honest long he kept vneath.

3
But patience perforce he must abie,

What fortune and his fate on him will lay,

Fond is the feare, that findes no remedie;

Yet warily he watcheth euery way,

By which he feareth euill happen may:

So th'euill thinkes by watching to preuent;

Ne doth he suffer her, nor night, nor day,

Out of his sight her selfe once to absent.

So doth he punish her and eke himselfe torment

4
But
Paridell
kept better watch, then hee,

A fit occasion for his turne to find:

False loue, why do men say, thou canst not see,

And in their foolish fancie feigne thee blind,

That with thy charmes the sharpest sight doest bind,

And to thy will abuse? Thou walkest free,

And seest euery secret of the mind;

Thou seest all, yet none at all sees thee;

All that is by the working of thy Deitee.

5
So perfect in that art was
Paridell
,

That he
Malbeccoes
halfen eye did wyle,

His halfen eye he wiled wondrous well,

And
Hellenors
both eyes did eke beguyle,

Both eyes and hart attonce, during the whyle

That he there soiourned his wounds to heale;

That
Cupid
selfe it seeing, close did smyle,

To weet how he her loue away did steale,

And bad, that none their ioyous treason should reueale.

6
The learned louer lost no time nor tyde,

That least auantage mote to him afford,

Yet bore so faire a saile, that none espyde

His secret drift, till he her layd abord.

When so in open place, and commune bord,

He fortun'd her to meet, with commune speach

He courted her, yet bayted euery word,

That his vngentle hoste n'ote him appeach

Of vile vngentlenesse, or hospitages breach.

7
But when apart (if euer her apart)

He found, then his false engins fast he plyde,

And all the sleights vnbosomd in his hart;

He sigh'd, he sobd, he swownd, he perdy dyde,

And cast bimselfe on ground her fast besyde:

Tho when againe he him bethought to liue,

He wept, and wayld, and false laments belyde,

Saying, but if she Mercie would him giue

That he mote algates dye, yet did his death forgiue.

8
And otherwhiles with amorous delights,

And pleasing toyes he would her entertaine,

Now singing sweetly, to surprise her sprights,

Now making layes of loue and louers paine,

Bransles, Ballads, virelayes, and verses vaine;

Oft purposes, oft riddles he deuysd,

And thousands like, which flowed in his braine,

With which he fed her fancie, and entysd

To take to his new loue, and leaue her old despysd.

9
And euery where he might, and euery while

He did her seruice dewtifull, and sewed

At hand with humble pride, and pleasing guile,

So closely yet, that none but she it vewed,

Who well perceiued all, and all indewed.

Thus finely did he his false nets dispred,

With which he many weake harts had subdewed

Of yore, and many had ylike misled:

What wonder then, if she were likewise carried?

10
No fort so fensible, no wals so strong,

But that continuall battery will riue,

Or daily siege through dispuruayance long,

And lacke of reskewes will to parley driue;

And Peace, that vnto parley eare will giue,

Will shortly yeeld it selfe, and will be made

The vassall of the victors will byliue:

That stratageme had oftentimes assayd

This crafty Paramoure, and now it plaine displayd.

11
For through his traines he her intrapped hath,

That she her loue and hart hath wholy sold

To him, without regard of gaine, or scath,

Or care of credite, or of husband old,

Whom she hath vow'd to dub a faire Cucquold.

Nought wants but time and place, which shortly shee

Deuized hath, and to her louer told.

It pleased well. So well they both agree;

So readie rype to ill, ill wemens counsels bee.

12
Darke was the Euening, fit for louers stealth,

When chaunst
Malbecco
busie be elsewhere,

She to his closet went, where all his wealth

Lay hid: thereof she countlesse summes did reare,

The which she meant away with her to beare;

The rest she fyr'd for sport, or for despight;

As
Hellene,
when she saw aloft appeare

The
Troiane
flames, and reach to heauens hight

Did clap her hands, and ioyed at that dolefull sight.

13
This second
Hellene,
faire Dame
Hellenore,

The whiles her husband ranne with sory haste,

To quench the flames which she had tyn'd before,

Laught at his foolish labour spent in waste;

And ranne into her louers armes right fast;

Where streight embraced, she to him did cry,

And call aloud for helpe, ere helpe were past;

For loe that Guest would beare her forcibly,

And meant to rauish her, that rather had to dy.

14
The wretched man hearing her call for ayd,

And readie seeing him with her to fly,

In his disquiet mind was much dismayd:

But when againe he backward cast bis eye,

And saw the wicked fire so furiously

Consume his hart, and scorch his Idoles face,

He was therewith distressed diuersly,

Ne wist he how to turne, nor to what place;

Was neuer wretched man in such a wofull cace.

15
Ay when to him she cryde, to her he turnd,

And left the fire; loue money ouercame:

But when he marked, how his money burnd,

He left his wife; money did loue disclame:

Both was he loth to loose his loued Dame,

And loth to leaue his liefest pelfe behind,

Yet sith he n'ote saue both, he sau'd that same,

Which was the dearest to his donghill mind,

The God of his desire, the ioy of misers blind.

16
Thus whilest all things in troublous vprore were,

And all men busie to suppresse the flame,

The louing couple need no reskew feare,

But leasure had, and libertie to frame

Their purpost flight, free from all mens reclame;

And Night, the patronesse of loue-stealth faire,

Gaue them safe conduct, till to end they came:

So bene they gone yfeare, a wanton paire

Of louers loosely knit, where list them to repaire.

17
Soone as the cruell flames yslaked were,

Malbecco
seeing, how his losse did lye,

Out of the flames, which he had quencht whylere

Into huge waues of griefe and gealosye

Full deepe emplonged was, and drowned nye,

Twixt inward doole and felonous despight;

He rau'd, he wept, he stampt, he lowd did cry,

And all the passions, that in man may light,

Did him attonce oppresse, and vex his caytiue spright.

18
Long thus he chawd the cud of inward griefe,

And did consume his gall with anguish sore,

Still when he mused on his late mischiefe,

Then still the smart thereof increased more,

And seem'd more grieuous, then it was before:

At last when sorrow he saw booted nought,

Ne griefe might not his loue to him restore,

He gan deuise, how her he reskew mought,

Ten thousand wayes he cast in his confused thought.

19
At last resoluing, like a pilgrim pore,

To search her forth, where so she might be fond,

And bearing with him treasure in close store,

The rest he leaues in ground: So takes in hond

To seeke her endlong, both by sea and lond

Long he her sought, he sought her farre and nere,

And euery where that he mote vnderstond,

Of knights and ladies any meetings were,

And of eachone he met, he tydings did inquere.

20
But all in vaine, his woman was too wise,

Euer to come into his clouch againe,

And he too simple euer to surprise

The iolly
Paridell,
for all his paine.

One day, as he forpassed by the plaine

With weary pace, he farre away espide

A couple, seeming well to be his twaine,

Which houed close vnder a forrest side,

As if they lay in wait, or else themselues did hide.

21
Well weened he, that those the same mote bee,

And as he better did their shape auize,

Him seemed more their manner did agree;

For th'one was armed all in warlike wize,

Whom, to be
Paridell
he did deuize;

And th'other all yclad in garments light,

Discolour'd like to womanish disguise,

He did resemble to his Ladie bright;

And euer his faint hart much earned at the sight

22
And euer faine he towards them would goe,

But yet durst not for dread approchen nie,

But stood aloofe, vnweeting what to doe;

Till that prickt forth with loues extremitie,

That is the father of foule gealosy,

He closely nearer crept, the truth to weet:

But, as he nigher drew, he easily

Might scerne, that it was not his sweetest sweet,

Ne yet her Belamour, the partner of his sheet

23
But it was scornefull
Braggadocchio,

That with his seruant
Trompart
houerd there,

Sith late he fled from his too earnest foe:

Whom such when as
Malbecco
spyed clere,

He turned backe, and would haue fled arere;

Till
Trompart
ronning hastily, him did stay,

And bad before his soueraine Lord appere:

That was him loth, yet durst he not gainesay,

And comming him before, low louted on the lay.

24
The Boaster at him sternely bent his browe,

As if he could haue kild him with his looke,

That to the ground him meekely made to bowe,

And awfull terror deepe into him strooke,

That euery member of his bodie quooke.

Said he, thou man of nought, what doest thou here,

Vnfitly furnisht with thy bag and booke,

Where I expected one with shield and spere,

To proue some deedes of armes vpon an equall pere.

25
The wretched man at his imperious speach,

Was all abasht, and low prostrating, said;

Good Sir, let not my rudenesse be no breach

Vnto your patience, ne be ill ypaid;

For I vnwares this way by fortune straid,

A silly Pilgrim driuen to distresse,

That seeke a Lady, There he suddein staid,

And did the rest with grieuous sighes suppresse,

While teares stood in his eies, few drops of bitternesse.

26
What Ladie, man? (said
Trompart)
take good hart,

And tell thy griefe, if any hidden lye;

Was neuer better time to shew thy smart,

Then now, that noble succour is thee by,

That is the whole worlds commune remedy.

That chearefull word his weake hart much did cheare,

And with vaine hope his spirits faint supply,

That bold he said; ô most redoubted Pere,

Vouchsafe with mild regard a wretches cace to heare.

27
Then sighing sore, It is not long (said hee)

Sith I enioyd the gentlest Dame aliue;

Of whom a knight, no knight at all perdee,

But shame of all, that doe for honor striue,

By treacherous deceipt did me depriue;

Through open outrage he her bore away,

And with fowle force vnto his will did driue,

Which all good knights, that armes do beare this day,

Are bound for to reuenge, and punish if they may.

28
And you most noble Lord, that can and dare

Redresse the wrong of miserable wight,

Cannot employ your most victorious speare

In better quarrell, then defence of right,

And for a Ladie gainst a faithlesse knight;

So shall your glory be aduaunced much,

And all faire Ladies magnifie your might,

And eke my selfe, albe I simple such,

Your worthy paine shall well reward with guerdon rich.

29
With that out of his bouget forth he drew