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XXXII.

He hated all good workes and vertuous deeds,
And him no leffe than any like did ufe;
And who with gratious bread the hungry feeds,
His almes for want of faith he doth accufe;
So every good to bad he doth abuse.
And eke the verfe of famous poets witt
He does backbite, and fpitefuli poifon fpues
From leprous mouth on all that ever writt
Such one vile Envy was, that fifte in row did fitt.

XXXIII.

They backe retourned to the princely place;
Whereas an errant knight in armes ycled,
And heathenifh fhield, wherein with letters red
Was writt Sanficy, they new arrived find:
Enflamd with fury and fiers hardyhed,
He feemd in hart to harbour thoughts unkind,
And nourish bloody vengeance in his bitter min

XXXIX.

Who when the shamed shield of flaine Sansfoy
He fpide with that fame Faery champion's page
Bewraying him that did of late deftroy
His eldest brother; burning all with rage
He to him lept, and that fame envious gage
Of victor's glory from him fnatch'd away:
Butth' Elfin Knight, which ought that warlike wag
Difdaind to loose the meed he wonne in fray,
And him rencountring fierce refkewd the noble pr

And him befide rides fierce revenging Wrath
Upon a lion, loth for to be led;
And in his hand a burning brond he hath,
The which he brandifheth about his hed:
His eyes did hurle forth fparcles fiery red,
And flared fterne on all that him beheld,
As afhes pale of hew, and seeming ded;
And on his dagger ftill his hand he held,
Trembling through hafty rage when choler in Redoubted battaile ready to darrayne,

him fweld.

XXXIV.

His ruffin raiment all was ftaind with blood
Which he had spilt, and all to rags yrent;
Through unadvized rafhnefs woxen wood,
For of his hands he had no government,
Ne car'd for blood in his avengement:
But when the furious fitt was overpast,
His cruel facts he often would repent ;
Yet (wiful man) he never would forecaft
How many mischiefs fhould enfue his

XXXV.

XL.

Therewith they gan to hurtlen greedily,

And clafb their fhields, and shake their fwerds on
That with their sturre they troubled all the tran
Till that great queene, upon eternall paine
Of high difpleasure that enfewen might,
Commanded them their fury to refraine;
And if that either to that shield had right,
In equall lifts they should the morrow next it fig

XLI.

“Ah! dearest dame," quoth then the paynim bo [haft." Pardon the error of enraged wight, heedleffe"

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Whome great griefe made forget the rainestoh "Of Reason's rule, to fee this recreaunt knight (No knight, but treachour full of faife delpigh "And fhameful treafon) who through guile ha

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"And to augment the glorie of his guile,
"His dearest love, the farie Fidessa, loe
"Is there poffeffed of the traytour vile,
"Who reapes the harvest fowen by his foe,
"Sowen in bloodie field, and bought with woe
"That brother's hand fhall dearly well requigh
"So be, O Queene! you equall favour fhowe."
Him little answered th' angry Elfin Knight;
He never meant with words, but fwords, to pl
his right:
But threw his gauntlet as a facred pledg
His caufe in combat the next day to try:

XLIII.

So been they parted both, with harts on edg
To be aveng'd each on his enimy.
That night they pafs in ioy and iollity,
Feafting and courting both in bowre and hall,
For fteward was exceffive Gluttony,
That of his plenty poured forth to all:
Which doen, the chamberlain Slowth did to
them call.

XLIV.

Now whenas dark fome Night had all difplayd
Her coleblacke curtein over brightest skye,
The warlike youthes, on dayntie couches layd,
Did chace away fweet fleepe from fluggish cy

To mufe on means of hoped victory:
But whenas Morpheus had with leaden mace
Arrested all that courtly company,
Uprofe Dueffa from her refting place,

"From dreaded forme of his difdainfull fpight:
"To you th' inheritance belongs by right
"Of brothers prayfe, to you eke longes his love:
"Let not his love, let not his reftlefs fpright,

And to the paynim's lodging comes with filent pace:" Be unreveng'd that calles to you above

XLV.

Whom broad awake fhe findes in troublous fitt,
Fore-cafting how his foe he might annoy,
And him amoves with fpeaches feeming fitt;
"Ah! deare Sanfioy, next deareft to Sansfoy,
Caufe of my new griefe, cause of my new ioy;
foyous to fee his ymage in mine eye,
"And greevd to thinke how foe did him destroy,
"That was the flowre of grace and chevalrye;
* Lo his Fideffa to thy fecret faith I flyc.”

XLVI.

"From wandring Stygian fhores, where it doth endleffe move.'

XLIX.

Thereto faid he, " Faire Dame! be nought difmaid "For forrowes paft; their griefe is with them gone:

"Ne yet of prefent perill be affraide,

"For needleffe feare did never vantage none;
"And helpleffe hap it booteth not to mone,
"Dead is Sansfoy, his vitall paines are past,
"Tho' greeved ghoft for vengeance deep do grone:
"He lives that fhall him pay his dewties laft,
"And guiltie elfin blood fhall facrifice in haft.”

With gentle wordes he can her fayrely greet,
And bad fay on the fecrete of her hart;
Then fighing foft," I learn that litle sweet
"Oft tempred is," quoth fhe," with muchell fmart;"
"For fince my breft was launcht with lovely dart
"Of deare Sansfoy, I never ioyed howre,
"But in eternall woe my weaker hart
"Have wasted, loving him with all my powre,

L.

O, but I feare the fickle freakes," quoth fhe, "Of Fortune falfe, and oddes of armes in field." Why, Dame," quoth he," what oddes can ever bee

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"Where both doe fight alike to win or yield?"

"And for his fake have felt full many an heavie" Yea, but," quoth fhe," he beares a charmed fhield,

ftowre.

XLVII.

"And eke enchaunted armes, that none can perce; "Ne none can wound the man that does them

wield."

"Charmd or enchaunted," answerd he then ferce, "I no whit reck; ne you the like need to reherce.

LI.

" At last, when perils all I weened past,
"And hop'd to reape the crop of all my care,
"lato new woes unweeting I was caft,
By this falfe faytor, who unworthie ware
"His worthie fhield, whom he with guilefull fnare" But, fair Fidessa ! fithens Fortune's guile,
Entrapped flew, and brought to shamefull grave:
"Me filly maid away with him he bare,
"And ever fince hath kept in darksome cave,
For that I would not yield that to Sansfoy I gave.

XLVIII.

"But fince faire funne hath fperft that lowring clowd,

"And to my loathed life now fhews fome light, "Under your beames I will me fafely fhrowd

"Or enimies powre, hath now captived you,
"Returne from whence ye came, and reft a while,
"Till morrow next that I the clfe fubdew,
"And with Sansfoyes dead dowry you endew."
"Ay me, that is a double death," the faid,
"With proud foes fight my forrow to renew :
"Where ever yet I be, my fecret aide
"Shall follow you." So paffing forth the him obaid.

Cij

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Which when the wakeful elfe perceiv'd, ftreightway
He started up, and did him selfe prepayre
In fun-bright armes and battailous array,

IV.

Soone after comes the cruel Sarazin,
In woven maile all armed warily,
And sternly lookes at him, who not a pin
Does care for looke of living creature's eye.
They bring them wines of Greece and Araby,
And daintie fpices fetch from furthest Ynd,
To kindle heat of corage privily;

And in the wine a folemn oth they binde,
T' obferve the sacred laws of armes that are aff

V.

At laft forth comes that far renowmed queene
With royall pomp and princely maieste;
She is ybrought unto a paled greene,
And placed under ftately canapec,
The warlike feates of both those knights to fe
On th' other fide in all mens open vew
Dueffa placed is, and on a tree

Sansfoy his fhield is hangd with bloody hew;
Both those the lawrell girlands to the victor de

VI.

For with that pagan proud he combatt will that day. A fhrilling trompett fownded from on hye,

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And forth he comes into the commune hall,
Where earely waite him many a gazing eye,
To weet what end to ftraunger knights may fall:
There many minftrales maken melody,
To drive away the dull melancholy,
And many bardes, that to the trembling chord
Can tune their timely voices cunningly,
And many chroniclers, that can record

Old loves, and warres for ladies doen many a lord.

And unto battaill bad themselves addresse;
Their fhining fhieldes about their wreftes they
And burning blades about their heads doe blei
The inftruments of wrath and heavineffe :
With greedy force each other doth assayle,
And ftrike fo fiercely, that they do impresse
Deepe dinted furrowes in the battred mayle:
The yron walles to ward their blowes are w
and fraile.

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