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QUEENE.

XXXVIII.

Whenas this knight nigh to the lady drew,
With lovely court he gan her entertaine;
But when he heard her aunfwers loth, he knew
Some fecret forrow did her heart distraine;
Which to allay, and calme her ftorming paine,
Faire-feeling words he wifely gan display,
And for her humour fitting purpose faine,
To tempt the cause it selfe for to bewray,
Wherewith enmoud, thefe bleeding words fhe

XXXIX.

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"What worlds delight, or ioy of living fpeach, "Can hart, fo plungd in sea of forrowes deep, "And heaped with fo huge misfortunes, reach? "The carefull cold beginneth for to creep, "And in my hart his yron arrow steep, "Scone as I thinke upon my bitter bale. "Such helpleffe harmes yts better hidden keep, "Then rip up griefe where it may not availe; My last left comfort is my woes to weepe and

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"waile."

XL.

"Ah! lady deare," quoth then the gentle knight, "Well may I ween your grisfe is wondrous great; "For wondrous great griefe groneth in my spright, "Whiles thus I heare you of your forrowes treat. "But, woefull lady! let me you intrete "For to unfold the anguifh of your hart: "Mishaps are maiftred by advice difcrete, "And counfell mitigates the greatest finart: "Found never help who never would his hurts impart."

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XLI.

"O but," quoth fhe, "great griefe will not be "tould,

"And can more easily be thought then faid." "Right fo," quoth he; but he that never would, "Could never will to might gives greatest aid.” "But griefe," quoth the," does greater grow difplaid,

“If then it find not helpe, and breeds despaire." Defpaire breeds not," quoth he, "where faith is "ftaid."

"No faith fo faft," quoth the," but flesh does paire."

"Flesh may empaire," quoth he," but reafon can repaire."

61

XLII.

His goodly reafon and well-guided fpeach So deepe did fettle in her gracious thought, That her perfuaded to disclose the breach Which Love and Fortune in her hart had wrought; And faid," Faire Sir, I hope good hap hath brought "You to inquere the fecrets of my griefe; "Or that your wildome will direct my thought; "Or that your proweffe can me yield reliefe; "Then heare the ftory fad, which I fhall tell you "briefe.

XLIII.

"The forlorne maiden, whom your cics have feene "The laughing stock of Fortune's mockeries, "Am th' onely daughter of a king and queene, "Whofe parents deare (whiles equal deftinies "Did ronne about, and their felicities Dij

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FAERY QUEENE.
"Which have endured many a dreadfull ftowre,
"Can fpeake his proweffe, that did earst you beare,
"And well could rule; now he hath left you heare
"To be the record of his ruefull loffe,
"And of my doleful difaventurous deare.
"O heavie record of the good Red-croffe,
"Where have yee left your lord, that could fo well
66 you toffe?

"Till that their cruell curfed enemy,
"An huge great dragon, horrible in fight;
"Bred in the loathly lakes of Tartary,
"With murdrous ravine and devouring might
"Their kingdome spoild, and countrey wafted
"quight:

"Themfe.ves, for feare into his iawes to fall,
"He forft to caftle strong to take their flight,
"Where last embard in mighty brazen wall,
"He has them now fowr years befiegd to make
"them thrall.

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XLIX.

"Well hoped I, and faire beginnings had,
"That he my captive languor should redeeme,
Till all unweeting, an enchaunter bad
"His fence abusd, and made him to misdeeme
"My loyalty, not such as it did feeme;
"That rather death defire then fuch defpight.
"Be iudge, ye Heavens that all things right
"efteeme,

"How I him lov'd, and love with all my might:
"So thought I cke of him, and think I thought
aright.

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L.

"Thenceforth me defolate he quite forfooke,
"To wander where wilde Fortune would me lead,
"And other bywaies he himfelfe betooke,
"Where never foote of living wight did tread.
"That brought not backe the balefull body dead,
"In which him chaunced falfe Dueffa meete,
"Mine onely foe, mine onely deadly dread,
"Who with her witchcraft and miffeeming fweete,
Inveigled him to follow her defires unmeete.

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LI.

"At last, by fubtile fleights she him betraid
"Unto his foe, a gyaunt huge and tall,
"Who him difarmed, diffolute, dismayed,
"Unwares surprised, and with mighty mall
"The monster mercileffe him made to fall,
"Whofe fall did never foe before behold;
"And now in darkesome dungeon, wretched thrall,
"Remedileffe for aie he doth him, hold.

This is my cause of griefe, more great then may
"be told."

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Encountring fiers with fingie fword in hand,
And twixt him and his lord did like a bulwarke
stand.

XIII.

The proud Dueffa, full of wrathful spight
And fiers difdaine, to be affronted fo,
Enforit her purple beast with all her might,
That flop out of the way to overthroe,
Scorning the let of fo unequal foe;

But nathemore would that courageous fwayne
To her yeeld paffage, gainft his lord to goe,
But with owtrageous ftrokes did him restraine,
And with his body bard the way atwixt them

twaine.

XIV.

Then took the angrie witch her golden cup,
Which ftill the bore, replete with magick artes;
Death and defpeyre did many thereof fup,
And fecret poyfon through their inner partes;
Th' eternall bale of heavie wounded harts;
Which after charmes and fome enchauntments faid,
She lightly fprinkled on his weaker partes;
Therewith his fturdie corage foone was quayd,
And all his fences were with fuddein dread dismayd.

XV.

So downe he fell before the cruell beaft,
Who on his neck his bloody clawes did seize,
That life nigh crusht out of his panting breft;
No powre he had to firre, nor will to rize.
That when the carefull knight gan well avife,
He lightly left the foe with whom he fought,
And to the beast gan turne his enterprise;
For wondrous anguifh in his hart it wrought,
To fee his loved fquyre into fuch thraldom brought.

XVI.

And high advauncing his blood-thirstie blade,
Stroke one of thofe deformed heads fo fore,
That of his puiffaunce proud en ample made;
His monitrous fcalpe down to his teeth it tore,
And that misformed fhape misfhaped more:
A fea of blood gusht from the gaping wownd,
That her gay garments ftaynd with filthy gore,
And overflowed all the field arownd,
That over hoes in blood he waded on the grownd.

XVII.

Thereat he rored for exceeding paine,

That to have heard great horror would have bred;
And fcourging th' emptie ayre with his long

trayne,

(Through great impatience of his grieved hed)
His gorgeous ryder from her loftie sted
Would have eat downe, and trodd in durty myre,
Had not the gyaunt fcone her fuccoured,
Who, ail enrag'd with fmart and frantic yre,
Came hurtling in full fiers, and forft the knight
retyre.

XVIII.

The force which wont in two to be difperft,
In one alone left hand he now unites,
Which is through 'rage more frong then both
were erft,

With which his hideous club a'oft he dites,
And at his foe with farious rigor imites,

Canta VIII.

That ftrongest oake might feeme to overthrow:
The stroke upon his fhield fo heavie lites,
That to the ground it doubleth him full low.
What mortall wight could ever beare so monstrous
blow?

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Which flowed from his wo unds in wondrous store
But foone as breath out of his breft did pas,
That huge great body, which the gyaunt bore,
Was vanifht quite, and of that monstrous mas
Was nothing lefte, but like an emptie blader was.

xxv.

Whofe grievous fall when falfe Dueffa spyde,
Her golden cup the caft unto the ground,
And crowned mitre rudely threw afyde;
Such piercing griefe her ftubborne hart did wound,
That he could not endure that dolefull ftound;
But leaving all behind her, fled away;
The light-foot fquyre her quickly turnd around,
And by hard meanes enforcing her to stay,
So brought unto his lord, as his deserved pray.

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The roiall virgin, which beheld from farre, In penfive plight and fad perplexitie, The whole atchievement of this doubtfull warre, Came running faft to grect his victorie With fober gladneffe and myld modellie, And with sweet ioyous cheare him thus befpake; "Fayre braunch of nobleffe, flowre of chevalrie! "That with your worth the world amazed make, "How fhall I quite the paynes ye fuffer for my "fake?

66

XXVII.

"And you, fresh budd of vertae fpringing faft, "Whom thefe fad eyes faw nigh unto death's dore, "What hath poore virgin, for fuch perill paft, "Wherewith you to reward? accept therefore My fimple felfe, and fervice evermore. "And he that high does fit, and all things fee "With equall eye, their merites to restore, "Behold what ye this day have done for mee, "And what I cannot quite, requite with ufuree.

XXVIII.

"But fith the heavens and your faire handeling
"Have made you master of the field this day,
"Your fortune maifter eke with governing,
"And well begonne, end all fo well, I pray,
"Ne let that wicked woman fcape away;
"For the it is that did my lord bethrall,
"My deareft lord! and deepe in dongeon lay,
"Where he his better dayes hath wasted all.
"O heare how piteous, he to you for ayd does
'call!"

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XXIX.

Forthwith he gave in charge unto his fquyre
That scarlet whore to keepen carefully,
Whyles he himselfe, with greedie great defyre,
Into the cafle entred forcibly,

Where living creature none he did efpye;
Then gan he lowdly through the house to call,
But no man car'd to anfwere to his crye;
There raignd a folemne filence over all;
Nor voice was heard,nor wight was feene, in bowre
or hall.

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At last, with creeping crooked pace forth came
An old, old man, with beard as white as fnov,
That on a flaffe his feeble fteps did frame,
And guyde his wearie gate both too and fro,
For his eye fight him fayled long ygo;

D

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