But to the virgin comes, who all this while
Amased stands, her selfe so mockt to see
By him who has the guerdon of his guile
For so misfeigning her true knight to bee:
Yet is she now in more perplexitie,
Left in the hand of that same Paynim bold,
From whom her booteth not at all to flie;
Who, by her cleanly garment catching hold,
Her from her palfrey pluckt, her visage to behold.
But her fiers servant, full of kingly aw
And high disdaine, whenas his soveraine dame
So rudely handled by her foe he saw,
With gaping jawes full greedy at him came,
And, ramping on his shield, did weene the same
Have reft away with his sharpe rending clawes:
But he was stout, and lust did now inflame
His corage more, that from his griping pawes
He hath his shield redeemd, and forth his swerd he drawes.
O then too weake and feeble was the forse
Of salvage beast his puissance to withstand;
For he was strong, and of so mightie corse
As ever wielded speare in warlike hand,
And feates of armes did wisely understand.
Eftsoones he percèd through his chaufèd chest
With thrilling point of deadly yron brand,
And launcht his lordly hart; with death opprest
He rored aloud, whiles life forsooke his stubborne brest.
Who now is left to keepe the forlorne maid
From raging spoile of lawlesse victors will?
Her faithful gard removed, her hope dismaid,
Her selfe a yielded pray to save or spill!
He now, lord of the field, his pride to fill,
With foule reproches and disdaineful spight
Her vildly entertaines, and, will or nill,
Beares her away upon his courser light;
Her prayers naught prevaile, his rage is more of might.
And all the way, with great lamenting paine
And piteous plaintes she filleth his dull eares,
That stony hart could riven have in twaine,
And all the way she wetts with flowing teares;
But he, enraged with rancor, nothing heares.
Her servile beast yet would not leave her so,
But followes her far of, ne ought he feares
To be partaker of her wandring woe,
More mild, in beastly kind, then that her beastly foe.
The knight with that old Dragon fights
Two dayes incessantly;
The third him overthrowes, and gayns
Most glorious victory.
High time now gan it wex for Una fayre
To thinke of those her captive parents deare,
And their forwasted kingdom to repayre;
Whereto whenas they now approchèd neare,
With hartie wordes her knight she gan to cheare,
And in her modest maner thus bespake:
"Deare knight, as deare as ever knight was deare,
That all these sorrowes suffer for my sake,
High heven behold the tedious toyle ye for me take!
"Now are we come unto my native soyle,
And to the place where all our perilles dwell;
Here hauntes that feend, and does his dayly spoyle:
Therefore, henceforth, bee at your keeping well,
And ever ready for your foeman fell;
The sparke of noble corage now awake,
And strive your excellent selfe to excell;
That shall ye evermore renowmèd make
Above all knights on earth that batteill undertake."
And pointing forth, "Lo yonder is," said she,
"The brasen towre in which my parents deare
For dread of that huge feend emprisond be,
Whom I from far see on the walles appeare,
Whose sight my feeble soule doth greatly cheare.
And on the top of all I do espye
The watchman wayting tydings glad to heare;
That, O my parents, might I happily
Unto you bring, to ease you of your misery!"
With that they heard a roaring hideous sownd,
That all the ayre with terror filled wyde,
And seemd uneath to shake the stedfast ground.
Eftsoones that dreadfull dragon they espyde,
Where stretcht he lay upon the sunny side
Of a great hill, himselfe like a great hill:
But all so soone as he from far descryde
Those glistring armes, that heven with light did fill,
He rousd himselfe full blyth, and hastned them untill.
Then badd the knight his lady yede aloof,
And to an hill her selfe withdraw asyde,
From whence she might behold that battailles proof,
And eke be safe from daunger far descryde:
She him obayd, and turnd a litle wyde.
Now, O thou sacred Muse, most learned dame,
Fayre ympe of Phoebus and his aged bryde,
The nourse of time and everlasting fame,
That warlike handes ennoblest with immortall name,
O gently come into my feeble brest;
Come gently, but not with that mightie rage
Wherewith the martiall troupes thou doest infest,
And hartes of great heroès doest enrage,
That nought their kindled corage may aswage;
Soone as thy dreadfull trompe begins to sownd,
The god of warre with his fiers equipage
Thou doest awake, sleepe never he so sownd,
And scared nations doest with horror sterne astownd.
Fayre goddesse, lay that furious fitt asyde,
Till I of warres and bloody Mars doe sing,
And Bryton fieldes with Sarazin blood bedyde,
Twixt that great Faery Queene and Paynim king,
That with their horror heven and earth did ring;
A worke of labour long and endlesse prayse.
But now a while lett downe that haughtie string,
And to my tunes thy second tenor rayse,
That I this man of God his godly armes may blaze.
By this the dreadfull beast drew nigh to hand,
Halfe flying and halfe footing in his haste,
That with his largenesse measurèd much land,
And made wide shadow under his huge waste,
As mountaine doth the valley overcaste.
Approching nigh, he reared high afore
His body monstrous, horrible, and vaste,
Which, to increase his wondrous greatnes more,
Was swoln with wrath and poyson and with bloody gore,
And over all with brasen scales was armd,
Like plated cote of steele, so couchèd neare
That nought mote perce, ne might his corse bee harmd 75 With dint of swerd nor push of pointed speare:
Which, as an eagle, seeing pray appeare,
His aery plumes doth rouze, full rudely dight,
So shakèd he that horror was to heare;
For as the clashing of an armor bright,
Such noyse his rouzèd scales did send unto the knight.
His flaggy winges, when forth he did display,
Were like two sayles in which the hollow wynd
Is gathered full and worketh speedy way;
And eke the pennes that did his pineons bynd
Were like mayne-yardes with flying canvas lynd;
With which whenas him list the ayre to beat,
And there by force unwonted passage fynd,
The clowdes before him fledd for terror great,
And all the hevens stood still, amazèd with his threat.
His huge long tayle, wownd up in hundred foldes,
Does overspred his long bras-scaly back;
Whose wreathed boughtes whenever he unfoldes,
And thick entangled knots adown does slack,
Bespotted as with shieldes of red and blacke,
It sweepeth all the land behind him farre,
And of three furlongs does but litle lacke;
And at the point two stinges in fixèd arre,
Both deadly sharp, that sharpest steele exceeden farr.
But stinges and sharpest steele did far exceed
The sharpnesse of his cruel rending clawes;
Dead was it sure, as sure as death in deed,
What ever thing does touch his ravenous pawes,
Or what within his reach he ever drawes.
But his most hideous head my tongue to tell
Does tremble; for his deepe devouring jawes
Wyde gaped, like the griesly mouth of hell,
Through which into his darke abysse all ravin fell.
And, that more wondrous was, in either jaw
Three ranckes of yron teeth enraungèd were,
In which yett trickling blood and gobbets raw
Of late devourèd bodies did appeare,
That sight thereof bredd cold congealèd feare;
Which to increase, and all atonce to kill,
A cloud of smoothering smoke and sulphure seare
Out of his stinking gorge forth steemèd still,
That all the ayre about with smoke and stench did fill.
His blazing eyes, like two bright shining shieldes,
Did burne with wrath, and sparkled living fyre;
As two broad beacons, sett in open fieldes,
Send forth their flames far of to every shyre,
And warning give that enimies conspyre
With fire and sword the region to invade,
So flamed his eyne with rage and rancorous yre;
But far within, as in a hollow glade,
Those glaring lampes were sett, that made a dreadfull shade.
So dreadfully he towardes him did pas,
Forelifting up aloft his speckled brest,
And often bounding on the brusèd gras,
As for great joyaunce of his newcome guest.
Eftsoones he gan advaunce his haughtie crest,
As chauffèd bore his bristles doth upreare,
And shoke his scales to battaile ready drest;
That made the Redcrosse Knight nigh quake for feare,
As bidding bold defyaunce to his foeman neare.
The knight gan fayrely couch his steady speare,
And fiersely ran at him with rigorous might;
The pointed steele, arriving rudely theare,
His harder hyde would nether perce nor bight,
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