40
Whose double gates55 he findeth locked fast,
The one faire fram'd of burnisht Yvory,
The other all with silver overcast;
And wakeful dogges before them farre do lye,
Watching to banish Care their enimy,
Who oft is wont to trouble gentle Sleepe.
By them the Sprite doth passe in quietly,
And unto Morpheus comes, whom drowned
deepe
In drowsie fit he findes: of nothing he takes
keepe 6.
And more, to lulle him in his slumber soft,
A trickling streame from high rock tumbling
downe,
45
Who all this while with charmes and hidden
artes,
Had made a Lady of that other Spright,
And fram'd of liquid ayre her tender partes
And ever-drizzling raine upon the loft,
Mixt with a murmuring winde, much like the So lively60, and so like in all mens sight,
That weaker sence it could have ravisht quight:
The maker selfe, for all his wondrous witt,
Was nigh beguiled with so goodly sight:
Her all in white he clad, and over it
Cast a black stole, most like to seeme for
Una fit.
sowne
Of swarming Bees, did cast him in a swowne:
No other noyse, nor peoples troublous cryes,
As still are wont t'annoy the walled towne,
Might there be heard: but carelesse Quiet lyes,
Wrapt in eternall silence farre from enemyes.*
The messenger approching to him spake,
But his wast wordes returnd to him in vaine:
So sound he slept, that nought mought him
Whereat he gan to stretch: but he againe
Shooke him so hard, that forced him to speake.
As one then in a dreame, whose dryer57 braine
Is tost with troubled sights and fancies weake,
He mumbled soft, but would not all his
silence breake.
44
The God obayde, and, calling forth straight-
way
A diverse dreame out of his prison darke,
His heavie head, devoide of carefull carke59,
Delivered it to him, and downe did lay
Whose sences all were straight benumbed and
starke.
He backe returning by the Yvorie dore,
Remounted up as light as chearefull Larke,
And on his litle winges the dreame he bore
In hast unto his Lord, where he him left
afore.
Unto that Elfin knight he bad him by,
Where he slept soundly void of evil thought,
And with false shewes abuse his fantasy,
In sort as he him schooled privily:
awake.
Then rudely he him thrust, and pusht with And that new creature, borne without her
paine
A fit false dreame, that can delude the sleepers sent58.
55 of false and true dreams 57 feverish
56 care
58 sense
46
Now when that ydle dreame was to him brought,
43
[The knight, deceived by the dream into thinking his lady Una false, flees with the Dwarf, until meeting on the way a Sarazin
The Sprite then gan more boldly him to wake, (Saracen, Pagan), named Sansfoy (Faithless),
And threatned unto him the dreaded name
Of Hecate: whereat he gan to quake,
And lifting up his lumpish head, with blame
Halfe angry asked him, for what he came.
Hither (quoth he) me Archimago sent,
He that the stubborne Sprites can wisely tame,
he slays him, and proceeds in the company of
Sansfoy's lady, Duessa (Falsehood), who
passes herself off as Fidessa (Faith).]
He bids thee to him send for his intent
dew61,
Full of the makers guile, with asage siy
He taught to imitate that Luày trew,
Whose semblance she did carrie under
feigned hew.
UNA AND THE LION. FROM BOOK I, CANTO III.
1
Nought is there under heav'ns wide hollow
nesse,
That moves more deare compassion of mind,
Then beautie brought t' unworthy wretched-
nesse
A stanza not easily matched in literature for adaptation of sound to sense. It has been much admired and imitated. See Thomson's 59 anxious care (with characteristic Spenserian Castle of Indolence, I. 3-6; also Tennyson's The Lotos-Eaters.
tautology) 60 lifelike
•
61 unnaturally
THE KNIGHT OF THE RED CROSS AT THE HOUSE | That every breath of heaven shaked it:
OF PRIDE. FROM BOOK I, CANTO IV.
And all the hinder parts, that few could spie,
Were ruinous and old, but painted cunningly.
Young knight whatever that dost armes pro-
fesse,
And through long labours huntest after fame,
Beware of fraud, beware of ficklenesse,
In choice, and change of thy deare loved Dame,
Least thou of her beleeve too lightly blame,
And rash misweening doe thy hart remove:
For unto knight there is no greater shame,
Then lightnesse and inconstancie in love;
That doth this Redcrosse knights ensample
plainly prove.
2
Who after that he had faire Una lorne,
Through light misdeeming of her loialtie,
And false Duessa in her sted had borne,
Called Fidess', and so supposed to bee;
Long with her traveild, till at last they see
A goodly building, bravely garnished,
The house of mightie Prince it seemd to bee:
And towards it a broad high way that led,
All bare through peoples feet, which thither
traveiled.
3
Great troupes of people traveild thitherward
Both day and night, of each degree and place,
But few returned, having scaped hard,
With balefull beggerie, or foule disgrace;
Which ever after in most wretched case,
Like loathsome lazars,1 by the hedges lay.
Thither Duessa bad him bend his pace:
For she is wearie of the toilesome way,
4
A stately Pallace built of squared bricke,
Which cunningly was without morter laid,
Whose wals were high, but nothing strong, nor
thick,
And golden foile all over them displaid,
That purest skye with brightnesse they dismaid:
High lifted up were many loftie towres,
And goodly galleries farre over laid,
Full of faire windowes and delightful bowres;
And on the top a Diall told the timely
howres.
6
Arrived there, they passed in forth right;
For still to all the gates stood open wide:
Yet charge of them was to a Porter hight1
Cald Malvenu,* who entrance none denide:
Thence to the hall, which was on every side
With rich array and costly arras dight:
Infinite sorts of people did abide
There waiting long, to win the wished sight
Of her that was the Lady of that Pallace
bright.
5
It was a goodly heape for to behould,
And spake the praises of the workmans wit;
But full great pittie, that so faire a mould
Did on so weake foundation ever sit:
For on a sandie hill, that still did flit
And fall away, it mounted was full hie,
1 lepers
7
By them they passe, all gazing on them round,
And to the Presence mount; whose glorious
8
High above all a cloth of State was spred,
And a rich throne, as bright as sunny day,
On which there sate most brave embellished
With royall robes and gorgeous array,
A mayden Queene, that shone as Titans ray,
In glistring gold, and peerelesse pretious stone:
Yet her bright blazing beautie did assay
And also nigh consumed is the lingring day. To dim the brightnesse of her glorious throne,
As envying her selfe, that too exceeding shone.
vew3
Their frayle amazed senses did confound:
In living Princes court none ever knew
Such endlesse richesse, and so sumptuous shew;
Ne Persia selfe, the nourse of pompous pride
Like ever saw. And there a nobel crew
Of Lordes and Ladies stood on every side, Which with their presence faire the place much beautifide.
And sitting high; for lowly she did hate:
Lo underneath her scornefull feete was layne
A dreadfull Dragon with an hideous trayne,
And in her hand she held a mirrhour bright,*
Wherein her face she often vewed fayne,
And in her selfe-lov'd semblance tooke de-
11
Of griesly Pluto she the daughter was,
And sad Proserpina the Queene of hell;
Yet did she thinke her pearlesse worth to pas
That parentage, with pride so did she swell;
And thundring Jove, that high in heaven doth
dwell,
light;
15
For she was wondrous faire, as any living Goodly they all that knight do entertaine, Right glad with him to have increast their
wight.
crew:
13
Soone as the Elfin knight in presence came,
And false Duessa seeming Lady faire,
A gentle Husher, Vanitie by name
Made rowme, and passage for them did pre-
paire:
And wield the world, she claymed for her syre,
Or if that any else did Jove excell:
For to the highest she did still aspyre,
[Sansjoy (Joyless, third of the pagan broth
Or if ought higher were then that, did it erhood) appears, seeking vengeance for the death of Sansfoy, and, secretly encouraged by Duessa, challenges the Knight to combat.]
desyre.
So goodly brought them to the lowest staire
Of her high throne, where they on humble
knee
Some frounce their curled haire in courtly guise,
Some prancke their ruffes, and others trimly dight
Their gay attire: each others greater pride does spight.
12
And proud Lucifera men did her call,
That made her selfe a Queene, and crowned to THE COMBAT BETWEEN THE KNIGHT OF THE RED CROSS AND SANSJOY. FROM BOOK I, CANTO V.
be,
Yet rightfull kingdome she had none at all,
Ne heritage of native soveraintie,
But did usurpe with wrong and tyrannie
Upon the scepter, which she now did hold:
Ne ruld her Realmes with lawes, but pollicie,
And strong advizement of six wizards old,†
That with their counsels bad her kingdome
did uphold.
Making obeyssance, did the cause declare,
Why they were come, her royall state to see,
To prove the wide report of her great
Majestee.
But to Duess' each one himselfe did paine
All kindnesse and faire courtesie to shew;
For in that court whylome her well they knew:
Yet the stout Faerie mongst the middest crowd
Thought all their glorie vaine in knightly vew,
And that great Princesse too exceeding prowd,
That to strange knight no better counte-
nance allowd.
Court ladies used to carry mirrors.
Pride and her six counsellors. Idleness, Gluttony.
Lechery, Avarice, Envy, and Wrath, constitute
the "seven deadly sins."
1
The noble hart, that harbours vertuous thought,
And is with child of glorious great intent,
Can never rest, untill it forth have brought
Th' eternall brood of glorie excellent.
Such restlesse passion did all night torment
The flaming corage1 of that Faery knight,
Devizing, how that doughtie turnament
With greatest honour he atchieven might;
Still did he wake, and still did watch for
dawning light.
2
At last the golden Orientall gate,
Of greatest heaven gan to open faire,
And Phoebus fresh, as bridegrome to his mate,
Came dauncing forth, shaking his deawie haire:
And hurls his glistring beams through gloomy
aire.
Which when the wakeful Elfe perceiv'd,
streightway
He started up, and did him selfe prepaire,
In sunbright armes, and battailous array:
For with that Pagan proud he combat will
that day.
14
3
With loftie eyes, halfe loth to looke so low,
She thanked them in her disdaine full wise;
Ne other grace vouchsafed them to show
Of Princesse worthy, scarse them bad arise.
Her Lordes and Ladies all this while devise
Themselves to setten forth to straungers sight: To weet what end to straunger knights may
And forth he comes into the commune hall,
Where earely waite him many a gazing eye,
fall.
There many Minstrales maken melody,
1 heart
|