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Then groning deep, "Nor damned ghost," quoth he, "Nor guileful fprite to thee these words doth speake; "But once a man Fradubio, now a tree; "Wretched man, wretched tree! whofe nature "weake

"A cruell witch, her curfed will to wreake, "Hath thus transformd, and plast in open plaines, Where Boreas doth blow full bitter bleake, "And scorching funne does dry my fecret vaines; "For though a tree I feeme, yet cold and heat "me paines."

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"Then cride she out, Fye, fye, deformed wight, "Whose borrowed beautie now appeareth plaine "To have before bewitched all mens fight; "O leave her foone, or let her foone be flaine !" "Her loathly vifage viewing with difdaine, "Eftfoones I thought her fuch as fhe me told, "And would have kild her; but with faigned paine [hold; "The falfe witch did my wrathfull hand with"So left her, where the now is turnd to tree in "mould.

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XL.

"Thensforth I tooke Dueffa for my dame, "And in the witch unweeting ioyd long time, "Ne ever wift but that she was the fame; "Till on a day (that day is everie prime, "When witches wont do penance for their crime) "I chaunft to fee her in her proper hew, "Bathing herfelfe in origane and thyme: "A filthie foule old woman I did view, "That ever to have toucht her I did deadly rew.

XLI.

"Her neather partes mifhapen, monftruous, "Were hidd in water, that I could not fee, "But they did feeme more foule and hideous "Then woman's fhape man would beleeve to bee. "hensforth from her most beaftly companie "I gan refraine, in minde to flipp away, "Soone as appeared fafe opportunitie; "For danger great, if not affurd decay, "I faw before mine eyes, if I were knowne to ftray.

XLII.

"The divelifh hag, by chaunges of my cheare, "Perceiv'd my thought, and, drownd in fleepic night,

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"With wicked herbes and oyntments did befmeare My body all, through charmes and magicke "might,

"That all my fenfes were bereaved quight; "Then brought fhe me into this defert wafte, "And by my wretched lover': fight me pight; "Where now enclofd in wooden wals full fafte, "Banifht from living wights, our wearie daies we "walle."

XLIII.

"But how long time," faid then the Elfin Knight, "Are you in this misformed hous to dwell?" "We may not chaunge," quoth he, “this evill plight

"Till we be bathed in a living well; "That is the terme prescribed by the spell." "O how," fayd he, "mote I that well outfind, "That may restore you to your wonted well?" "Time, and sufficed Fates, to former kynd "Shall us reftore, none else from hence may us "unbynd."

XLIV.

The falfe Dueffa, now Fideffa hight,
Heard how in vaine Fradubio did lament,

And knew well all was true: but the good knight
Full of fad feare and ghaftly dreriment,

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Whith whom he he whoredome ufd that few did. Yet knight was not for all his bragging bost,

know;

And fed her fatt with feast of offerings,
And pienty, which in all the land did grow;
Ne fpared he to give her gold and rings; things.
And how he to her brought part of his stolen

XIX.

Thus long the dore with rage and threats he bett,
Yet of those fearefull women none durst rize,
(The lyon frayed them) him in to lett:
He would no lenger ftay him to advize,
But open breakes the dore in furious wize,
And entring is; when that disdainfull beaft
Encountring fierce, him fuddein doth furprize;
And feizing cruell clawes on trembling brest,
Under his lordly foot him proudly hath supprest.

XX.

Him booteth not refift, nor fuccour call,
His bleeding hart is in the venger's hand,
Who freight him rent in thousand peeces fmall,
And quite difmembred hath; the thirsty land
Dronke up his life, his corfe left on the ftrand
His fearefull freends weare out the wofull night
Ne dare to weepe, nor feeme to understand
The heavie hap which on them is alight,

Affraid least to themselves the like mishappen might.

XXI.

Now when broad day the world defcovered has,
Up Una rofe, up rofe the lyon cke,
And on their former iourney forward pas,

In waies unknowne, her wandering knight to feeke,

With paires for paffing that long-wandring Greeke
That for his love refufed deitye:
Such were the labours of this lady meeke,
Still feeking him that from her still did flye:
Then furtheft from her hope when most she ween-
ed nye.

XXII.

Soone as fhe parted thence, the fearful twayne,
The blind old woman and her daughter dear,
Came forth, and finding Kirkrapine there flayne,
For anguish great they gan to rend their heare,
And beat their brefts, and naked flesh to teare:
And when they both had wept and wayld their fill,
Then forth they ran like two amazed deare,
Half mad through malice and revenging will,
To follow her that was the caufer of their ill:
XXIII.

Whome overtaking, they gan loudly bray,
With hollow houling and lamenting cry,
Shamefully at her rayling all the way,
And her accufing of dishonesty,
That was the flowre of faith and chastity;
And ftill amidft her rayling fhe did pray
'That plagues and mischiefes, and long misery,
Might fall on her, and follow all the way,
And that in endleffe error the might ever stray.

XXIV.

But when the faw her prayers nought prevaile, Shee backe retourned with fome labour loft; And in the way as fhee did weepe and waile, A knight her mett in mighty armes embost,

But fubtill Archimag, that Una fought
By traynes into new troubles to have toft:
Of that old woman tidings he befought,
If that of fuch a lady fhee could tellen ought.

XXV.

Therewith the gan her paffion to renew,

And cry, and curfe, and raile, and rend her heare,
Saying that harlott fhe too lately knew,
Tha catfd her shed fo many a bitter teare;
And fo forth told the ftory of her feare.
Much feemed he to mone her hapleffe chaunce,
And after for that lady did inquere ;

Which being taught, he forwarde gan advaunce
His fair enchaunted fleed.and eke his charmed launce.

XXVI.

Ere long he came where Una traveild flow,
And that wilde champion wayting her befyde;
Whm feeing fuch, for dread hee dur not fhow
Himfeife too nigh at hand, but turned wyde
Unto an hil; from whence when the him spyde,
By his like-feeming fhield her knight by name
Shee weend was, and towards him gan ride :
Approching nigh fhe wift it was the fame,
And with faire fearfull humbleffe towards him the

came:

XXVII.

And weeping faid, "Ah! my long-lacked lord, "Where have ye bene thus long our of my fight? "Much feared I to have bene quite abhord, "Or ought have done that ye difpleafen might, "That should as death unto my deare heart light:

"For fince mine eie your ioyous fight did mis, "My chearefull day is turnd to chearleffe right, "And eke my night of death the fhadow is; "But welcome now my light, and fhining lampe "of blis."

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