At night, when all they went to fleepe, he vewd
Whereas his lovely wife emongst them lay,
Embraced of a Satyre rough and rude,
Who all the night did minde his ioyous play:
Nine times he heard him come aloft ere day,
That all his heart with gealofy did fwell;
But yet that night's enfample did bewray
That not for nought his wife them lovd fo well,
When one fo oft a night did ring his matins bell.
So clofely as he could he to them crept,
When wearie of their sporte to fleepe they fell,
And to his wife, that now full foundly flept,
He whispered in her care, and did her tell,
That it was he which by her fide did dwell,
And therefore prayd her wake to heare him
plaine.
As one out of a dreame not waked well,
She turnd her, and returned backe againe;
Yet her for to awake he did the more constraine.
At laft with irkefom trouble she abrayd;
And then perceiving that it was indeed
Her old Malbecco which did her upbrayd
With looseneffe of her love and loathly deed,
She was astonisht with exceeding dreed,
And would have wakt the Satyre by her fyde;
But he her prayd for mercy or for meed
To fave his life, ne let him be descryde,
But hearken to his lore, and all his counfell hyde.
Tho gan be her perfwade to leave that lewd
And loathfom life, of God and man ‘abhord,
And home retourne,
where all fhould be renewd
With perfect peace, and bandes of fresh accord,
And the receivd againe to bed and bord,
As if not trefpas ever had beene donne;
But the it all refufed at one word,
And by no meanes would to his will be wonne,
But chose emongst the iolly Satyres ftill to wonne,
He wooed her till day-spring he espyde,
But all in vaine; and then turnd to the heard,
Who butted him with hornes on every fyde,
And trode downe in the durt, where his hore
beard
Was fowly dight, and he of death afeard,
Early before the heavens faireft light
Out of the ruddy east was fully reard,
The heardes out of their foldes were loofed quight,
And he emongst the rcft crept forth in fory
plight.
So foone as he the prifon dore did pas,
He ran as faft as both his feet could beare,
And never looked who behind him was,
Ne scarfely who before; like as a beare,
That creeping close emongst the hives to reare
An honey-combe, the wakefull dogs cípy,
And him affayling, fore his carkas teare,
That hardly he with life away does fly,
Ne ftayes till fafe himfelfe he fee from icopardy.
Britomart chaceth Ollyphant,
Findes Scudamour distrest:
Affayes the house of Busyrane,
Where Love's fpoyles are expreft.
HATEFULL hellish snake! what furie furft
Brought thee from balefull house of Proferpine, ·
Where in her bofome fhe thee long had nurst,
And foftred up with bitter milke of tine,
Fowle Gealofy! that turneft love divine
To ioylefs dread, and mark'ft the loving hart
What hatefull thoughts to languifh and to pine,
And feed itselfe with felfe-confuming smart?
Of all the paffions in the mind thou vilest art.
Olet him far be banished away,
And in his ftead let Love for ever dwell;
Sweete Love! that doth his golden wings embay
In bleffed nectar and pure pleatures well,
Untroubled of vile feare or bitter fell.
And ye, faire ladies! that your kingdomes make
In th' harts of men, them governe wifely well,
And of faire Britomart enfample take,
That was as trew in love as turtle to her make:
Who with Sir Satyrane (as carft ye red)
Forth ryding from Malbeccoes hoftleffe hous,
Far off efpyde a young man, the which fled
From an huge geaunt, that with hideous
And hatefull outrage long him chaced thus;
It was that Ollyphant, the brother deare
Of that Argante vile and vitious,
From whom the fquyre of Dames was reft whylere;
For as the fifter did in feminine
And filthy luft exceede all womankinde,
So he furpaffed his fex mafculine
In beaftly ufe all that I ever finde;
Whom when as Britomart beheld behinde,
The fearefull boy fo greedily pourfew,
She was emoved in her noble minde
T'employ her puiffaunce to his refkew,
And pricked fiercely forward where she did him
Ne was Sir Satyrane her far behinde,
But with like fierceneffe did enfew the chace;
Whom when the gyaunt faw, he foone refinde
His former fuit, and from them fled apace,
They after both, and boldly bad him bace,
And each did ftrive the other to outgoe,
But he them both out-ran a wondrous space,
For he was long, and swift as any roe,
And now made better speed t'escape his feared
foe.
It was not Satyrane whom he did feare,
But Britomart, the flowre of chastity,
For he the powre of chafte hands might not beare,
But alwayes did their dread encounter fly;
And now fo faft his feet he did apply,
That he has gotten to a forest neare,
Where he is throwded in fecurity:
This all as bad as she, and worse, if worse ought|The wood they enter, and search everie where;
They fearched diverfely; fe both divided were,
At last forth breaking into bitter plaintes, He fayd, "O foverayne Lord! that fit'st on hye, "And raignft in blis emongst thy bleffed faintes, "How fuffreft thou fuch fhamefull cruelty "So long unwreaked of thine enemy!
Or haft thou, Lord! of good mens caufe no "heed?
"Or doth thy iuftice fleepe and filent ly?
Both with great ruth and terrour fhe was fmit, Fearing least from her cage the wearie foule would flit.
Tho flouping downe fhe him amoved light,
Who therewith fomewhat starting up gan looke,
And feeing him behind a ftraunger knight,
Whereas no living creature he mistooke,
With great indignaunce he that fight forfooke,
And downe againe himfelfe difdainfully
Abieding, th' earth with his faire forhead ftrooke;
Which the bold virgin seeing, gan apply
Fit medcine to his griefe, and fpake thus courtefly:
"Ah, gentle Knight! whofe deepe-conceivd griefe "Well feemes t' exceede the powre of patience, "Yet if that hevenly grace fome good reliefe "You fend, fubmit you to high Providence, "And ever in your noble hart prepence, "That all the forrow in the world is leffe "Then vertue's might and value's confidence; "For who nill bide the burden of distresse, "Muft not here thinke to live, for life is wretch "edneffe.
"Therefore, faire Sir! doe comfort to you take, "And freely read what wicked felon fo
"Hath outrag'd you, and thrald your gentle "make:
"What booteth then the good and righteous" Perhaps this hand may help to cafe your woe,
"And wreake your forrow on your cruell foe; "At least it faire endevour will apply." Thofe feeling words fo neare the quicke did goe, That up his head he reared cafily,
And leaning on his elbow, thefe few words let fly; "What boots it plaine that cannot be redreft, "And low vain forrow in a fruitless eare,
Sith powre of hand, nor skill of learned breft, "Ne worldly price, cannot redeeme my deare "Out of her thraldome and continuall feare? "For he the tyrant which her hath in ward, "By ftrong enchauntments and blacke magicke "learc,
"Hath in a dungeon deepe her close embard, "And many dreadfull feends hath pointed to her "gard;
"There he tormenteth her most terribly, "And day and night afflicts with mortall pains, "Because to yield him love the doth deny, "Once to me yold, not to be yolde againe ; "But yet by torture he would her constraine "Love to conceive in her difdainfull brest; "Till fo fhe doe the muft in doole remaine, "Ne may by living meanes be thence releft; "What bootes it then to plaine that cannot be re"dreft?"
With this fad herfall of his heavie ftreffe,
The warlike damzell was empafíond fore,
And fayd, "Şir knight, your caufe is nothing leffe
"Daunger without discretion to attempt, "Inglorious, beast-like is; therefore, Sir knight, "Aread what course of you is safest dempt, " And how we with our foe may come to fight?"
"This is," quoth he," the dolorous despight "Which earft to you I playnd; for neither may "This fire be quencht by any witt or might, "Ne yet by any meanes remov'd away, "So mighty be th' enchauntments which the fame ❝ do stay.
"What is there ells but cease these fruitleffe "paines,
"And leave me to my former languishing? "Faire Amorett muft dwell in wicked chaines, "And Scudamore here die with forrowing." "Perdy not fo," faid thee," for fhamefull thing "Yt were t'abandon noble chevifaunce "For thewe of perill without venturing; "Rather let try extremities of chaunce "Then enterprised praife for dread to difavaunce.”
Therewith refolv'd to prove her utmost might,
Her ample shield the threw before her face,
And her fword's point directing forward, right
Affayld the flame, the which eftefoones gave place
And did itselfe divide with equall space,
That through the passed, as a thonder-bolt
Perceth the yielding ayre, and doth displace
The foring clouds, into fad fhowres ymolt;
So to her yold the flames, and did their force revolt
Whom whenas Scudamour faw past the fire
Safe and untoucht, he likewife gan affay
With greedy will and envious desire,
And bad the stubborne flames to yield him way;
But cruell Mulciber would not obay
His threatfull pride but did the more augment
His mighty rage, and with imperious fway
Him forft (maulgre) his fercenes to relent,
And backe retire, all fcorcht and pittifully brent
With huge impatience he inly fwelt,
More for great forrow that he could not pas,
Then for the burning torment which he felt,
That with fell woodnes he effierced was,
And wilfully him throwing on the gras,
Did beat and bounse his head and breft full fore;
The while the championeffe now entred has
The utmost rowme, and paft the foremost dore,
The utmoft rowme, abounding with all precious
ftore:
For round about the walls yclothed were
With goodly arras of great maiefty,
Woven with gold and filke fo close and nere,
That the rich metall lurked privily,
As faining to be hidd from envious eye;
Yet here, and there, and every where, unwares
It fhewd itfelfe, and thone unwillingly,
Like a difcoloured fnake, whose hidden fnares,
Through the greene gras his long bright burnish
back declares.
And in those tapets weren fashioned
Many faire pourtraicts, and many a fairy feate,
And all of love and al of lufty-hed,
As feemed by their femblaunt did entreat;
And cke all Cupid's warres they did repeat,
And cruell battailes which he whilome fought,
Gainst all the gods, to make his empire great,
Befides the huge maffacres which he wrought
On mighty kings, and kefars into thraldome
brought.
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