The Faerie Queene (81 page)

Is with the blast of some outragious storme

Blowne downe, it shakes the bottome of the bulke,

And makes her ribs to cracke, as they were tome,

Whilest still she stands as stonisht and forlorne:

So was he stound with stroke of her huge taile.

But ere that it she backe againe had borne,

He with his sword it strooke, that without faile

He ioynted it, and mard the swinging of her flaile.

30
Then gan she cry much louder then afore,

That all the people there without it heard,

And
Belge
selfe was therewith stonied sore,

As if the onely sound thereof she feard.

But then the feend her selfe more fiercely reard

Vppon her wide great wings, and strongly flew

With all her body at his head and beard.

That had he not foreseene with heedfull vew,

And thrown his shield atween, she had him done to rew.

31
But as she prest on him with heauy sway,

Vnder her wombe his fatall sword he thrust,

And for her entrailes made an open way,

To issue forth; the which once being brust,

like to a great Mill damb forth fiercely gusht,

And powred out of her infernall sinke

Most vgly filth, and poyson therewith rusht,

That him nigh choked with the deadly stinke:

Such loathly matter were small lust to speake, or thinke.

32
Then downe to ground fell that deformed Masse,

Breathing out douds of sulphure fowle and blacke,

In which a puddle of contagion was,

More loathd then
Lerna,
or then
Stygian
lake,

That any man would nigh awhaped make.

Whom when he saw on ground, he was full glad,

And streight went forth his gladnesse to partake

With
Belge,
who watcht all this while full sad,

Wayting what end would be of that same daunger drad.

33
Whom when she saw so ioyously come forth,

She gan reioyce, and shew triumphant chere,

Lauding and praysing his renowmed worth,

By all the names that honorable were.

Then in he brought her, and her shewed there

The present of his paines, that Monsters spoyle,

And eke that Idoll deem'd so costly dere;

Whom he did all to peeces breake and foyle

In filthy durt, and left so in the loathely soyle.

34
Then all the people, which beheld that day,

Gan shout aloud, that vnto heauen it rong;

And all the damzels of that towne in ray,

Came daunting forth, and ioyous carrols song:

So him they led through all their streetes along,

Crowned with girlonds of immortall baies,

And all the vulgar did about them throng,

To see the man, whose euerlasting praise

They all were bound to all posterities to raise.

35
There he with
Belgœ
did a while remaine,

Making great feast and ioyous merriment,

Vntill he had her settled in her raine,

With safe assuraunce and establishment.

Then to his first emprize his mind he lent,

Full loath to
Belgce,
and to all the rest:

Of whom yet taking leaue, thenceforth he went

And to his former iourney him addrest,

On which long way he rode, ne euer day did rest.

36
But turne we now to noble
Artegall;

Who hauing left
Merdlla,
streight way went

On his first quest, the which him. forth did call,

To weet to worke
Irenaes
franchisement,

And eke
Grantortoes
worthy punishment.

So forth he fared as his manner was,

With onely
Talus
wayting diligent,

Through many perils and much way did pas,

Till nigh vnto the place at length approcht he has.

37
There as he traueld by the way, he met

An aged wight, wayfaring all alone,

Who through his yeares long since aside had set

The vse of armes, and battell quite forgone:

To whom as he approcht, he knew anone,

That it was he which whilome did attend

On faire
Irene
in her affliction,

When first to Faery court he saw her wend,

Vnto his soueraine Queene her suite for to commend.

38
Whom by his name saluting, thus he gan;

Haile good Sir
Sergis,
truest Knight aliue,

Well tride in all thy Ladies troubles than,

When her that Tyrant did of Crowne depriue;

What new ocasion doth thee hither driue,

Whiles she alone is left, and thou here found?

Or is she thrall, or doth she not suruiue?

To whom he thus; She liueth sure and sound;

But by that Tyrant is in wretched thraldome bound.

39
For she presuming on th'appointed tyde,

In which ye promist, as ye were a Knight,

To meete her at the saluage Hands syde,

And then and there for triall of her right

With her vnrigteous enemy to fight,

Did thither come, where she afrayd of nought,

By guilefull treason and by subtill slight

Surprized was, and to
Grantorto
brought,

Who her imprisond hath, and her life often sought.

40
And now he hath to her prefixt a day,

By which if that no champion doe appeare,

Which will her cause in battailous array

Against him iustifie, and proue her cleare

Of all those crimes, that he gainst her doth reare

She death shall by. Those tidings sad

Did much abash Sir
Artegall
to heare,

And grieued sore, that through his fault she had

Fallen into that Tyrants hand and vsage bad.

41
Then thus replide; Now sure and by my life,

Too much am I too blame for that faire Maide,

That haue her drawne to all this troublous strife,

Through promise to afford her timely aide,

Which by default I haue not yet defraide.

But witnesse vnto me, ye heauens, that know

How cleare I am from blame of this vpbraide:

For ye into like thraldome me did throw,

And kept from complishing the faith, which I did owe.

42
But now aread, Sir
Sergis,
how long space,

Hath he her lent, a Champion to prouide:

Ten daies (quoth he) he graunted hath of grace,

For that he weeneth well, before that tide

None can haue tidings to assist her side.

For all the shores, which to the sea accoste,

He day and night doth ward both far and wide,

That none can there arriue without an hoste:

So her he deemes already but a damned ghoste.

43
Now turne againe (Sir
Artegall
then sayd)

For if I liue till those ten daies haue end,

Assure your selfe, Sir Knight, she shall haue ayd,

Though I this dearest life for her doe spend;

So backeward he attone with him did wend.

Tho as they rode together on their way,

A rout of people they before them kend,

Flocking together in confusde array,

As if that there were some tumultuous affray.

44
To which as they approcht, the cause to know,

They saw a Knight in daungerous distresse

Of a rude rout him chasing to and fro,

That sought with lawlesse powre him to oppresse,

And bring in bondage of their brutishnesse:

And farre away, amid their rakehell bands,

They spide a Lady left all succourlesse,

Crying, and holding vp her wretched hands

To him for aide, who long in vaine their rage withstands.

45
Yet still he striues, ne any perill spares,

To reskue her from their rude violence,

And like a Lion wood amongst them fares,

Dealing his dreadfull blowes with large dispence,

Gainst which the pallid death frades no defence.

But all in vaine, their numbers are so great,

That naught may boot to banishe them from thence:

For soone as he their outrage backe doth beat,

They turne afresh, and oft renew their former threat.

46
And now they doe so sharpely him assay,

That they his shield in peeces battred haue,

And forced him to throw it quite away,

Fro dangers dread his doubtfull life to saue;

Albe that it most safety to him gaue,

And much did magnifie his noble name.

For from the day that he thus did it leaue,

Amongst all Knights he blotted was with blame,

And counted but a recreant Knight, with endles shame.

47
Whom when they thus distressed did behold,

They drew vnto his aide; but that rude rout

Them also gan assaile with outrage bold,

And forced them, how euer strong and stout

They were, as well approu'd in many a doubt,

Backe to recule; vntill that yron man

With his huge flaile began to lay about,

From whose sterne presence they diffused ran,

like scattred chaffe, the which the wind away doth fan.

48
So when that Knight from perill deare was freed,

He drawing neare, began to greete them faire,

And yeeld great thankes for their so goodly deed,

In sauing him from daungerous despaire

Of those, which sought his life for to empaire.

Of whom Sir
Artegll
gan then enquire

The whole occasion of his late misfare,

And who he was, and what those villaines were,

The which with mortall malice him pursu'd so nere.

49
To whom he thus; My name is
Burbon h
ight,

Well knowne, and far renowmed heretofore,

Vntill late mischiefe did vppon me light,

That all my former praise hath blemisht sore;

And that faire Lady, which in that vprore

Ye with those caytiues saw,
Flourdelis
hight,

Is mine owne loue, though me she haue forlore,

Whether withheld from me by wrongfull might,

Or with her owne good will, I cannot read aright.

50
But sure to me her faith she first did plight,

To be my loue, and take me for her Lord,

Till that a Tyrant, which
Grandtorto
hight,

With golden giftes and many a guilefull word

Entyced her, to him for to accord.

O who may not with gifts and words be tempted?

Sith which she hath me euer since abhord,

And to my foe hath guilefully consented:

Ay me, that euer guyle in wemen was inuented.

51
And now he hath this troupe of villains sent,

By open force to fetch her quite away:

Gainst whom my selfe I long in vaine haue bent,

To rescue her, and daily meanes assay,

Yet rescue her thence by no meanes I may:

For they doe me with multitude oppresse,

And with vnequall might doe ouerlay,

That oft I driuen am to great distresse,

And forced to forgoe th'attempt remedilesse.

52
But why haue ye (said
Artegall)
forborne

Your owne good shield in daungerous dismay?

That is the greatest shame and foulest scorne,

Which vnto any knight behappen may

To loose the badge, that should his deedes display.

To whom Sir
Burbon,
blushing halfe for shame,

That shall I vnto you (quoth he) bewray;

Least ye therefore mote happily me blame,

And deeme it doen of will, that through inforcement came.

53
True is, that I at first was dubbed knight

By a good knight, the knight of the
Redcrosse;

Who when he gaue me armes, in field to fight,

Gaue me a shield, in which he did endosse

His deare Redeemers badge vpon the bosse:

The same longwhile I bore, and therewithall

Fought many battels without wound or losse;

Therewith
Grandtorto
selfe I did appall,

And made him oftentimes in field before me fall.

54
But for that many did that shield enuie,

And cruell enemies increased more;

To stint all strife and troublous enmitie,

That bloudie scutchin being battered sore,

I layd aside, and haue of late forbore,

Hoping thereby to haue my loue obtayned:

Yet can I not my loue haue nathemore;

For she by force is still fro me detayned,

And with corruptfull brybes is to vntrutli mis-trayned.

55
To whom thus
Artegall;
Certes Sir knight,

Hard is the case, die which ye doe complaine;

Yet not so hard (for nought so hard may light,

That it to such a streight mote you constraine)

As to abandon, that which doth containe

Your honours stile, that is your warlike shield.

All perill ought be lesse, and lesse all paine

Then losse of fame in disauentrous field;

Dye rather, then doe ought, that mote dishonour yield.

56
Not so; (quoth he) for yet when time doth serue,

My former shield I may resume againe:

To temporize is not from truth to swerue,

Ne for aduantage terme to entertaine,

When as necessitie doth it constraine.

Fie on such forgerie (said
Artegall)

Vnder one hood to shadow faces twaine.

Knights ought be true, and truth is one in all:

Of all things to dissemble fouly may befall.

57
Yet let me you of courtesie request,

(Said
Burbon)
to assist me now at need

Against these pesants, which haue me opprest,