"Foole!" said the Pagan, "I thy gift defye; "But ufe thy fortune as it doth befall; "And fay, that I not overcome doe dye, * But in despight of life for death doe call." Wroth was the prince and fory yet withall, That he fo wilfully refuced grace; Yet fith his fate fo cruelly did fall,
His bining helmet he gan foone unlace,
And left his headlefíe body bleeding all the place.
By this Sir Guyon from his traunce awakt,
(Life having mayftered her fenceless foe)
And looking up, whenas his fhield he lackt,
And fword faw not, he wexed wondrous woe;
But when the palmer, whom he long ygo
Had loft, he by him fpyde, right glad he grew,
"For want of weapons; they fhall foone be had.” So gan he to difcourfe the whole debate, Which that ftraunge knight for him fuftained had, And those two Sarazins confounded late, Whofe carcaffes on ground were horribly proftrate.
Which when he heard, and faw the tokens trew, His hart with great affection was embayd, And to the prince bowing with reverence dew, As to the patron of his life thus fayd: "My Lord, my Liege, by whose most gratious ayd "I live this day, and fee my foes fubdewd, "What may fuffice to be for meede repayd "Of fo great graces as ye have me shewd, "But to be ever bound?"
And faid, "Deare Sir! whom wandring to and To whom the infant thus, " Fayre Sir! what
"I long have lackt, I ioy thy face to vew; "Firme is thy faith, whom daunger never fro "me drew.
"But read what wicked hand hath robbed mee
"Good turnes be counted, as a fervile bond, "To bind their dooers to receive their meed? "Are not all knightes by oath bound to with" ftond
"Oppreffours powre by armes and puiffant hond? "Of my good fword and fhield?" The palmer," Suffife that I have done my dew in place." glad
With fo fresh hew upryfing him to fee,
Him answered," Fayre Sonne: be no whit fad
So goodly purpose they together fond
Of kindneffe and of courteous aggrace,
The whiles falfe Archimage and Atin fled apaçe,
"Fortune, the foe of famous chevifaunce, "Seldom," faid Guyon, " yields to vertue aide, "But in her way throwes mifchiefe and mif"chaunce,
" Whereby her course is stopt and passage staid. "But you, fayre Sir! be not herewith dismaid, "But conftant keepe the way in which ye ftand; "Which were it not that I am els delaid "With hard adventure, which I have in hand, "I labour would to guide you through al Fary "Land,"
Fierfely at first those knights they did affayle, And drove them to recoile; but when againe They gave fresh charge, their forces gan to fayle, Unhable their encounter to fuftaine;
For with fuch puiffaunce and impetuous maine Those champions broke on them, that forst them fly
Like scattered sheepe, whenas the shepherd's swaine A lyon and a tigre doth espye,
With greedy pace, forth rushing from the foreft
A while they fled, but foone retourned againe
With greater fury then before was found;
And evermore their cruell captaine [rownd,
Sought with his rafkall routs t' enclose them
And overronne to tread them to the ground;
But foone the knights with their bright-burning
blades
Broke their rude troupes, and orders did confownd,
Hewing and flashing at their idle fhades;
For though they bodies feem, yet substance from
them fades.
As when a fwarme of gnats at eventide
Out of the fennes of Allan doe arise,
Their murmuring small trompetts fwonden wide,
Whiles in the aire their clufiring army flies,
That as a cloud doth feeme to dim the skies;
Ne man nor beast may rest or take repast
For their fharpe wounds and noyous iniuries,
Till the fierce northerne winde, with bluftring
blast,
Doth blow them quite away, and in the ocean caft.
Thus when they had that troublous route difperft,
Unto the caftle-gate they come againe,
And entraunce crav'd, which was denied erst.
Now when report of that their perlous paine,
And combrous conflict which they did fuftayne,
Came to the ladies eare which there did dwell,
Shee forth iffwed with a goodly traine
Of fquires and ladies equipaged well,
And entertained them right fairely, as befell.
Shee graunted, and them leading forth, the fame Thence the them brought into a stately hall,
First she them led up to the caftle-wall,
That was fo high as foe might not it clime,
And all fo faire and fenfible withall;
Not built of bricke, ne yet of stone and lime,
But of thing like to that Aegyptian flime,
Whereof King Nine whilome built Babel Towre:
But O great pitty! that no lenger time
So goodly workmanship should not endure : [fure.
Soone it must turne to earth; no earthly thing is
The frame thereof feemd partly circulare,
And part triangulare; O worke divine!
Thofe two the first and laft proportions are;
The one imperfect, mortall, fœminine,
Th' other immortall, perfect, mafculine;
And twixt them both a quadrate was the base,
Proportiond equally by feven and nine;
Nine was the circle fett in heaven's place,
All which compacted made a godly diapafe.
Therein two gates were placed feemly well;
The one before, by which all in did pas,
Did th' other far in workmanship excell;
For not of wood, nor of enduring bras,
But of more worthy fubftance fram'd it was;
Doubly difparted, it did locke and close,
That when it locked, none might thorough pas,
And when it opened, no man might clofe;
Still opened to their friendes, and closed to their
foes.
Wherein were many tables fayre difpred,
And ready dight with drapets festivall,
Against the viaundes should be ministred.
At th' upper end there fate, yclad in red
Downe to the ground, a comely perfonage,
That in his hand a white rod menaged;
He steward was, hight Diet, rype of age,
And in demeanure fober, and in counsell sage,
And through the hall there walked to and fro
A iolly yeoman, marshall of the faine,
Whofe name was Appetite; he did bestow
Both gueftes and meate, whenever in they came,
And knew them how to order without blame,
As him the steward badd. They both attone
Did dewty to their lady, as became ;
Who paffing by, forth led her guestes anone
Into the kitchin rowme, ne fpard for niceneffe
It was a vaut ybuilt for great difpence,
With many raunges reard along the wall,
And one great chimney, whofe long tonnell thence
The smoke forth threw ; and in the midst of all
There placed was a caudron wide and tall
Upon a mightie fornace, burning whott,
More whott then Aetn', or flaming Mongiball;
For day and night it brent, ne ceafed not
So long as any thing it in the caudron gott.
But to delay the heat, least by mischaunce
It might breake out and set the whole on fyre
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