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,
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 awake.
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.
Now when that ydle dreame was to him brought,
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:
Then rudely he him thrust, and pusht with And that new creature, borne without her
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.
Full of the makers guile, with asage siy
He taught to imitate that Luày trew,
Whose semblance she did carrie under
feigned hew.
[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 bids thee to him send for his intent
A fit false dreame, that can delude the sleepers sent58.
he slays him, and proceeds in the company of Sansfoy's lady, Duessa (Falsehood), who passes herself off as Fidessa (Faith).]
UNA AND THE LION. FROM BOOK I, CANTO III.
Nought is there under heav'ns wide hollow
That moves more deare compassion of mind, Then beautie brought t' unworthy wretched
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.
His bloody rage asswaged with remorse, And with the sight amazd, forgat his furious forse.
In stead thereof he kist her wearie feet,
And lickt her lilly hands with fawning tong,
As he her wronged innocence did weet1.
O how can beautie maister the most strong,
And simple truth subdue avenging wrong?
Whose yeelded pride and proud submission,
Still dreading death, when she had marked
long,
Her hart gan melt in great compassion,
And drizling teares did shed for pure affec-
tion.
The Lyon Lord of every beast in field,
Quoth she, his princely puissance doth abate,
And mightie proud to humble weake does yield,
Forgetfull of the hungry rage, which late
Him prickt, in pittie of my sad. estate:
But he my Lyon, and my noble Lord,
How does he find in cruell hart to hate,
Her that him lov'd, and ever most adord,
As the God of my life? why hath he me
abhord?
Redounding5 teares did choke th' end of her plaint,
Which softly ecchoed from the neighbour wood;
And sad to see her sorrow full constraint
The kingly beast upon her gazing stood;
With pittie calmd, downe fell his angry mood.
At last in close hart shutting up her paine,
Arose the virgin borne of heavenly brood,
And to her snowy Palfrey got againe,
To seeke her strayed Champion, if she might attaine.
The Lyon would not leave her desolate,
But with her went along, as a strong gard
Of her chast person, and a faithfull mate
Of her sad troubles and misfortunes hard:
Still when she slept, he kept both watch and
ward,
And when she wakt, he waited diligent,
With humble service to her will prepard:
From her faire eyes he tooke commaundement,
And ever by her lookes conceived her in-
tent.
[Una is overtaken by Archimago, disguised as the Redcross Knight, and accompanies him therefore trustingly. But they are met by Sansloy (Lawless, a brother of Sansfoy), who overcomes both Archimago and the Lion and takes Una as his prey.]
THE KNIGHT OF THE RED CROSS AT THE HOUSE | That every breath of heaven shaked it:
OF PRIDE. FROM BOOK I, CANTO IV.
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,
And all the hinder parts, that few could spie,
Were ruinous and old, but painted cunningly.
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.
By them they passe, all gazing on them round,
And to the Presence mount; whose glorious
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.
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,
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.
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
As envying her selfe, that too exceeding shone.
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-
light;
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.
For she was wondrous faire, as any living Goodly they all that knight do entertaine, wight.
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,
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,
Right glad with him to have increast their
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.
[Sansjoy (Joyless, third of the pagan broth
Or if ought higher were then that, did it erhood) appears, seeking vengeance for the desyre.
And proud Lucifera men did her call,
death of Sansfoy, and, secretly encouraged by Duessa, challenges the Knight to combat.]
That made her selfe a Queene, and crowned to THE COMBAT BETWEEN THE KNIGHT OF THE 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.
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:
So goodly brought them to the lowest staire
Of her high throne, where they on humble
knee
Making obeyssance, did the cause declare,
Why they were come, her royall state to see,
To prove the wide report of her great
Majestee.
RED CROSS AND SANSJOY. FROM BOOK I,
CANTO V.
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.
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.
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
Court ladies used to carry mirrors.
Pride and her six counsellors. Idleness, Gluttony. Lechery, Avarice, Envy, and Wrath, constitute the "seven deadly sins."
And forth he comes into the commune hall,
Where earely waite him many a gazing eye,
There many Minstrales maken melody,
|