"Sithence I loathed have my life to lead,

"As ladies wont, in Pleafure's wanton lap, "To finger the fine needle and nyce thread;

And thus replyde; "However, Sir, ye fyle
"Your courteous tongue his prayfes to compyle,
"It ill befeemes a knight of gentle fort,

"Me lever were with point of foe-man's fpeare" Such as ye have him boasted, to beguyle
"be dead.

"Which to prove, I this voyage have begonne. But mote I weet of you, right courteous Knight,

Tydings of one that hath unto me donne "Late foule dishonour and reprochful fpight, "The which I feek to wreake, and Arthegall he "hight."

IX.

"A fimple maide, and work fo heinous tort,
"In fhame of knighthood, as I largely can re-
"port.

His feeling wordes her feeble fence much pleased,

The worde gone out, fhe backe againe would call, And foftly funck into her molten hart:

As her repenting fo to have miffayd,

But that he uptaking ere the fall,

Her hortly anfwerd: "Faire martiall Mayd;
"Certes ye miffavised beene t' upbrayd

A gentle knight with fo unknightly blame;
For, weet ye well, of all that ever playd
At tilt or tourney, or like warlike game,
The noble Arthegall hath ever borne the name.

I.

Hart that is inly hurt is greatly eafed
With hope of thing that may allegge his smart;
For pleasing wordes are like to magick art,
That doth the charmed snake in flomber lay:
Such fecrete ease felt gentle Britomart,
Yet lift the fame efforce with faind gainefay;
(So difchord ofte in mufick makes the fweeter
lay.)

XVI.

And fayd, "Sir Knight, thefe ydle termes for-
"beare;

"And fith it is uneath to find his haunt,
Tell me fome marks by which he may appeare,
"If chaunce I him encounter paravaunt,
"For perdy one fhall either flay or daunt :
"What fhape, what fhield, what armes, what
"steed, what ftedd,

"And whatfo elfe his perfon most may vaunt?”
All which the Red-croffe knight to point ared,
And him in everie part before her fashioned.

As it in bookes hath written beene of old,

In Deheubarth, that now South-wales is hight,
What time King Ryence raign'd, and dealed
right,

The great magitian Merlin had deviz'd,
By his deepe fcience and hell-dreaded might,
A looking-glaffe, right wondroufly aguizd,
Whose vertues through the wyde worlde foone
were folemniz'd.

XIX.

It vertue had to fhew in perfect fight
Whatever thing was in the world contaynd
Betwixt the lowest earth and heven's hight,
So that it to the looker appertaynd;

Whatever foe had wrought, or frend had faynd,
Therein difcovered was, ne ought mote pas,
Ne ought in fecret from the fame remaynd;
Forthy it round and hollow fhaped was,

XXIV.

Eftfoones there was prefented to her eye
A comely knight, all arm'd in complete wize,
Through whose bright ventayle lifted up on hye
His manly face, that did his foes agrize,
And frendes to termes of gentle truce entize,
-Lookt foorth as Phoebus' face out of the east
Betwixt two fhady mountaynes doth arize;
Portly his perfon was, and much increast
Through his heroicke grace and honorable geft.

XXV.

His creft was covered with a couchant hownd,
And all his armour feemd of antique mould,
But wondrous maffy and affured fownd,
And round about yfretted all with gold,
In which there written was with cyphers old,
Achilles armes, which Arthegall did win:
And on his shield enveloped fevenfold

Like to the world itselfe, and seemd a world of He bore a crowned little ermilin,

glas.

XX.

Who wonders not, that reades fo wondrous worke?
But who does wonder, that has red the towre,
Wherein th' Aegyptian Phao long did lurke
From all mens vew, that none might her dif-
coure,

Yet the might all men vew out of her bowre?
Great Ptolomæe it for his leman's fake

Ybuilded all of glaffe, by magicke powre,

And also it impregnable did make;

That deckte the azure field with her faire pou dred fkin.

XXVI.

The damzell well did vew his perfonage,
And liked well, ne further faftned not,
But went her way; ne her unguilty age
Did weene unwares, that her unlucky lot
Lay hidden in the bottome of the pot;
Of hurt unwift most daunger doth redound;
But the falfe archer, which that arrow fhot
So fly that he did not feele the wound,

Yet when his love was falfe he with a peaze it Did fmyle full smoothly at her weetlesse wol

"But wicked fortune mine, though minde be All which the in an earthen pot did poure,

That fayd, her rownd about the from her turnd,
She turnd her contrary to the funne;
Thrife she her turnd contrary and returnd;
All contrary; for the the right did fhunne,
And ever what the did was freight undonne :'
So thought the to undoe her daughter's love,
But love that is in gentle breft begonne,
No ydle charmes fo lightly may remove;

LII.

Ne ought it mote the noble mayd avayle,
Ne flake the fury of her cruell flame,
But that fhee ftill did wafte, and still did wayle,
That through long languor and hart-burning
brame

She fhortly like a pyned ghoft became,

Which long hath waited by the Stygian ftrond;
That when old Glauce faw, for fear least blame

That well can witneffe who by tryall it does Of her mifcarriage should in her be fond,
prove.

She wift not how t' amend, nor how it to with

ftond.

Lij