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First gan he tell how this, that seem'd so faire
And royally arayd, Duessa hight;

That false Duessa, which had wrought great care
And mickle mischiefe unto many a knight
By her beguyled and confounded quight:
But not for those she now in question came,
Though also those mote question'd be aright,
But for vyld treasons and outrageous shame,
Which she against the dred Mercilla oft did frame.

For she whylome (as ye mote yet right well
Remember) had her counsels false conspyred
With faithlesse Blandamour and Paridell,
(Both two her paramours, both by her hyred,
And both with hope of shadowes vaine inspyred)
And with them practiz'd, how for to depryve
Mercilla of her crowne, by her aspyred,
That she might it unto herselfe deryve,
And tryumph in their blood whom she to death did

[dryve.

But through high Heavens grace, which favour not
The wicked driftes of trayterous desynes
Gainst loiall princes, all this cursed plot
Ere proofe it tooke discovered was betymes,
And th' actours won the ineede meet for their crymes:
Such be the meede of all that by such meane
Unto the type of kingdomes title clymes!
But false Duessa, now untitled queene, [seene.
Was brought to her sad doome, as here was to be

Strongly did Zele her haynous fact enforce,
And many other crimes of foule defame
Against her brought, to banish all remorse,
And aggravate the horror of her blame:
And with him, to make part against her, came
Many grave persons that against her pled.
First was a sage old syre, that had to name
The Kingdomes Care, with a white silver hed,
That many high regards and reasons gainst her
red.

Then gan Authority her to oppose

With peremptorie powre, that made all mute;
And then the Law of Nations gainst her rose,
And reasons brought, that no man could refute;
Next gan Religion gainst her to impute
High Gods beheast, and powre of holy lawes;
Then gan the peoples cry and commons sute
Importune care of their owne publicke cause;
And lastly Justice charged her with breach of lawes.
VOL IIL

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CANTO X.

Prince Arthur takes the enterprize For Belgee for to fight:

Gerioncos seneschall

He slayes in Belges right,

SOME clarkes doe doubt in their devicefull art
Whether this heavenly thing whereof I treat,
To weeten Mercie, be of Iustice part,

Or drawne forth from her by divine extreate:
This well I wote, that sure she is as great,
And meriteth to have as high a place,
Sith in th' Almighties everlasting seat
She first was bred, and borne of heavenly race;
From thence pour'd down on men by influence of
grace.

For if that vertue be of so great might
Which from just verdict will for nothing start,
But, to preserve inviolated right,

Oft spilles the principall to save the part;
So much more then is that of powre and art
That seekes to save the subiect of her skill,
Yet never doth from doome of right depart;
As it is greater prayse to save then spill,
And better to reforme then to cut off the ill.

Who then can thee, Mercilla, throughly prayse,
That herein doest all earthly princes pas?
What heavenly Muse shall thy great honour rayse
Up to the skies, whence first deriv'd it was,
And now on Earth itselfe enlarged has,
From th' utmost brinke of the Armericke shore,
Unto the margent of the Molucas?

Those nations farre thy iustice doe adore; [more.
But thine owne people do thy mercy prayse much

Much more it praysed was of those two knights,
The noble prince and righteous Artegall,
When they had seene and heard her doome arights
Against Duessa, damned by them all;
But by her tempred without griefe or gall,
Till strong constraint did her thereto enforce :
And yet even then ruing her wilfull fall
With more then needfull naturall remorse,
And yeelding the last honour to her wretched corse.

During all which, those knights continu'd there
Both doing and receiving curtesies
Of that great ladie, who with goodly chere
Them entertayu'd, fit for their dignities,
Approving dayly to their noble eyes
Royall examples of her mercies rare
And worthie paterns of her clemencies;
Which till this day mongst many living are,
Who them to their posterities doe still declare.

Amongst the rest, which in that space befell,
There came two springals of full tender yeares,
Farre thence from forrein land where they did dwell,
To seeke for succour of her and her peares,
With humble prayers and intreatfull teares;
Sent by their mother who, a widow, was
Wrapt in great dolours and in deadly feares
By a strong tyrant, who invaded has

Her land, and slaine her children ruefully, alas!

Hor name was Belgè; who in former age
A ladie of great worth and wealth had beene,
And mother of a frutefull heritage,
[seeno
Even seventeene goodly sonnes; which who had
In their first flowre, before this fatall teene
Them overtooke and their faire blossomes blasted,
More happie mother would her surely weene
Then famous Niobe, before she tasted
Latonaes childrens wrath that all her issue wasted.

But this fell tyrant, through his tortious powre,
Had left her now but five of all that brood:
For twelve of them he did by times devoure,
And to his idols sacrifice their blood,
Whylest he of none was stopped nor withstood:
For soothly he was one of matchlesse might,
Of horrible aspect and dreadfull mood,
And had three bodies in one wast empight, [fight.
And th' armes and legs of three to succour him in

And sooth they say that he was borne and bred
Of gyants race, the sonne of Geryon;
He that whylome in Spaine so sore was dred
For his huge powre and great oppression,
Which brought that land to his subiection,
Through his three bodies powre in one combyn'd;
And eke all strangers, in that region
Arryving, to his kyne for food assynd;
The fayrest kyne alive, but of the fiercest kynd:

For they were all, they say, of purple hew,
Kept by a cowheard, hight Eurytion,
A cruell carle, the which all strangers slew,
Ne day nor night did sleepe t' attend them on,
But walkt about them ever and anone
With his two-headed dogge that Orthrus hight;
Orthrus begotten by great Typhaon
And foule Echidna in the house of Night:
But Hercules them all did overcome in fight.

His sonne was this Geryoneo hight;
Who, after that his monstrous father fell
Under Alcides club, streight tooke his flight
From that sad land, where he his syre did quell,
And came to this, where Belge then did dwell
And flourish in all wealth and happinesse,
Being then new made widow, as befell,
After her noble husbands late decesse;
Which gave beginning to her woe and wretched-

nesse.

Then this bold tyrant, of her widowhed
Taking advantage and her yet fresh woes,
Himselfe and service to her offered,
Her to defend against all forrein foes
That should their powre against her right oppose:
Wherefore she glad, now needing strong defence,
Him entertayn'd and did her champion chose;
Which long he usd with carefull diligence,
The better to confirme her fearelesse confidence.

By meanes whereof she did at last commit
All to his hands, and gave him soveraine powre
To doe whatever he thought good or fit:
Which having got, he gan forth from that howre
To stirre up strife and many a tragicke stowre;
Giving her dearest children one by one
Unto a dreadfull monster to devoure,
And setting up an idole of his owne,
The image of his monstrous parent Geryone,

So tyrannizing and oppressing all,

The woefull widow had no meanes now left,
But unto gratious great Mercilla call
For ayde against that cruell tyrants theft,
Ere all her children he from her had reft:
Therefore these two, her eldest sonnes, she sent
To seeke for succour of this ladies gieft:
To whom their sute they humbly did present
In th' hearing of full many knights and ladies gent.

Amongst the which then fortuned to bee
The noble Briton prince with his brave peare;
Who when he none of all those knights did see
Hastily bent that enterprise to heare,
Nor undertake the same for cowheard feare,
He stepped forth with courage bold and great,
Admyr'd of all the rest in presence there,
And humbly gan that mightie queene entreat
To graunt him that adventure for his former feat.

She gladly graunted it: then he straightway
Himselfe unto his journey gan prepare,
And all his armours readie dight that day,
That nought the morrow next mote stay his fare.
The morrow next appear'd with purple hayre
Yet dropping fresh out of the Indian fount,
And bringing light into the Heavens fayre,
When he was readie to his steede to mount

Unto his way, which now was all his care and count.

Then taking humble leave of that great queene,
Who gave him roiall giftes and riches rare,
As tokens of ber thankefull mind beseene,
And leaving Artegall to his owne care,
Upon his voyage forth be gan to fare

Then turning unto him; "And you, sir Knight,"
Said she, "that taken have this toylesome paine
For wretched woman, miserable wight,
May you in Heaven immortall guerdon gaine
For so great travell as you doe sustaine!
For other meede may hope for none of mee,
To whom nought else but bare life doth remaine;
And that so wretched one, as ye do see

Is liker lingring death then loathed life to bee."

Much was he moved with her piteous plight;
And low dismounting from his loftie steede
Gan to recomfort her all that he might,
Seeking to drive away deepe-rooted dreede
With hope of helpe in that her greatest neede.
So thence he wished her with him to wend
Unto some place where they mote rest and feede,
And she take comfort which God now did send :
Good hart in evils doth the evils much amend.

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Ay me!" sayd she, "and whither shall I goe?
Are not all places full of forraine powres ?
My pallaces possessed of my foe,

My cities sackt, and their sky-threatning towres
Raced and made smooth fields now full of flowres ?
Onely these marishes and myrie bogs,

In which the fearefull ewftes do build their bowres,
Yeeld me an hostry mongst the croking frogs,
And harbour here in safety from those ravenous
dogs."

"Nathlesse," said he, "deare ladie, with me goe;
Some place shall us receive and harbour yield;
If not, we will it force, maugre your foe,
And purchase it to us with speare and shield:

With those two gentle youthes, which him did guide And if all fayle, yet farewell open field!

And all his way before him still prepare:

Ne after him did Artegall abide,

But on his first adventure forward forth did ride.

It was not long till that the prince arrived
Within the land where dwelt that ladie sad;
Whereof that tyrant had her now deprived,
And into moores and marshes banisht had,
Out of the pleasant soyle and citties glad,
In which she wont to harbour happily:
But now his cruelty so sore she drad,
That to those fennes for fastnesse she did fly,
And there herselfe did hyde from his hard tyranny.

There he her found in sorrow and dismay,
All solitarie without living wight;
For all her other children, through affray,
Had hid themselves, or taken further flight:
And eke herselfe through sudden strange affright,
When one in armes she saw, began to fly;
But, when her owne two sonnes she had in sight,
She gan take hart and looke up joyfully;
For well she wist this knight came succour to supply.

And, running unto them with greedy ioyes,
Fell straight about their neckes as they did kneele,
And bursting forth in teares; "Ah! ny sweet
Sayd she, "yet now I gin new life to feele; [boyes,"
And feeble spirits, that gan faint and reele,
Now rise againe at this your ioyous sight.
Alreadie seemes that Fortunes headlong wheele
Begins to turne, and Sunne to shine more bright
Then it was wont, through comfort of this noble
knight."

The Earth to all her creatures lodging lends."
With such his chearefull speaches he doth wield
Her mind so well, that to his will she bends;
And, bynding up her locks and weeds, forth with
him wends.

They came unto a citie farre up land,
The which whylome that ladies owne had bene;
But now by force extort out of her hand
By her strong foe, who had defaced cleene
Her stately towres and buildings sunny sheene,
Shut up her haven, mard her marchants trade,
Robbed her people that full rich had beene,
And in her necke a castle huge had made, [swade.
The which did her commaund without needing per-

That castle was the strength of all that state,
Untill that state by strength was pulled downe;
And that same citie, so now ruinate,
Had bene the keye of all that kingdomes crowne;
Both goodly eastle, and both goodly towne,
Till that th' offended Heavens list to lowre
Upon their blisse, and balefull fortune frowne.
When those gainst states and kingdomes do coniure,
Who then can thinke their hedlong ruine to recure!
But he had brought it now in servile bond,
And made it beare the yoke of inquisition,
Stryving long time in vaine it to withstond;
Yet glad at last to make most base submission,
And life eni by for any composition:

So now he hath new lawes and orders new
Imposd on it with many a hard condition,
And forced it, the honour that is dew
To God, to doe unto his idole most untrew.

To him he hath before this castle greene
Built a faire chappell, and an altar framed
Of costly ivory full rich beseene,
On which that cursed idole, farre proclamed,
He hath set up, and him his god hath named;
Offring to him in sinfull sacrifice

The flesh of men, to Gods owne likenesse framed,
And powring forth their bloud in brutishe wize,
That any yron eyes, to see, it would agrize.

And, for more horror and more crueltie,
Under that cursed idols altar-stone
An hideous monster doth in darknesse lie,
Whose dreadfull shape was never seene of none
That lives on Earth; but unto those alone
The which unto him sacrificed bee:
Those he devoures, they say, both flesh and bone;
What else they have is all the tyrants fee:
So that no whit of them remayning one may see.

There eke he placed a strong garrisone,
And set a seneschall of dreaded might,
That by his powre oppressed every one,
And vanquished all venturous knights in fight;
To whom he wont shew all the shame he might,
After that them in battell he had wonne :
To which when now they gan approch in sight,
The ladie counseld him the place to shonne,
Whereas so many knights had fouly bene fordonne.

Her fearefull speaches nought he did regard ;
But, ryding streight under the castle wall,
Called aloud unto the watchfull ward
Which there did wayte, willing them forth to call
Into the field their tyrants seneschall:
To whom when tydings thereof came, he streight
Cals for his armes, and arming him withall
Eftsoones forth pricked proudly in his might,
And gan with courage fierce addresse him to the
fight.

They both encounter in the middle plaine,

And their sharpe speares doe both together smite
Amid their shields with so huge might and maine,
That seem'd their soules they would have ryven
Out of their breasts with furious despight: [quight
Yet could the seneschals no entrance find
Into the princes shield where it empight,
(So pure the metall was and well refynd)
But shivered all about, and scattered in the wynd:

Not so the princes; but with restlesse force
Into his shield it readie passage found,
Both through his habericon and eke his corse;
Which tombling downe upon the senselesse ground
Gave leave unto his ghost from thraldome bound
To wander in the griesly shades of night:
There did the prince him leave in deadly swound,
And thence unto the castle marched right,
To see if entrance there as yet obtaine he might.

But, as he nigher drew, three knights he spyde,
All arm'd to point issuing forth apace,
Which towards him with all their powre did ryde,
And meeting him right in the middle race
Did all their speares attonce on him enchace.
As three great culverings for batterie bent,
And leveld all against one certaine place,
Doe all attonce their thunders rage forthrent,
That makes the wals to stagger with astonishment:

So all attonce they on the prince did thonder;
Who from his saddle swarved nought asyde,
Ne to their force gave way, that was great wonder;
But like a bulwarke firmely did abyde,
Rebutting him, which in the midst did ryde,
With so huge rigour, that his mortall speare [syde;
Past through his shield and pierst through either
That downe he fell uppon his mother deare,
And powred forth his wretched life in deadly dreare.

Whom when his other fellowes saw, they fled
As fast as feete could carry them away;
And after them the prince as swiftly sped,
To be aveng'd of their unknightly play.
'There, whilest they entring th' one did th' other stay,
The hindmost in the gate he overhent,
And, as he pressed in, him there did slay:
His carkasse tumbling on the threshold sent
His groning soule unto her place of punishment.

The other which was entred laboured fast
To sperre the gate; but that same lumpe of clay,
Whose grudging ghost was thereout fled and past,
Right in the middest of the threshold lay,
That it the posterne did from closing stay:
The whiles the prince hard preased in betweene,
And entraunce wonne: streight th' other fled away,
And rau into the hall, where he did weene
Himselfe to save; but he there slew him at the
skreene.

Then all the rest which in that castle were,
Seeing that sad ensample them before,
Durst not abide, but fled away for feare,
And them convayd out at a posterne dore.
Long sought the prince; but when he found no more
T'oppose against his powre, he forth issued
Unto that lady, where he her had lore,
And her gan cheare with what she there had vewed,
And, what she had not seene within, unto her shewed:

Who with right humble thankes him goodly greeting
For so great prowesse as he there had proved,
Much greater then was ever in her weeting,
With great admiraunce inwardly was moved,
And honourd him with all that her behoved.
Thenceforth into that castle he her led
With her two sonnes right deare of her beloved;
Where all that night themselves they cherished,
And from her balefull minde all care he banished,

CANTO XI.

Prince Arthure overcomes the great Gerioneo in fight:

Doth slay the monster, and restore Belge unto her right.

Ir often fals, in course of common life,
That right long time is overborne of wrong
Through avarice, or powre, or guile, or strife,
That weakens her, and makes her party strong:
But Iustice, though her dome she doe prolong,
Yet at the last she will her owne cause right:
As by sad Belgè seemes; whose wrongs though long
She suffred, yet at length she did requight,
And sent redresse thereof by this brave Briton knight.

Whereof when newes was to that tyrant brought,
How that the lady Belgè now had found

A champion, that had with his champion fought,
And laid his seneschall low on the ground,
And eke himselfe did threaten to confound;
He gan to burne in rage, and friese in feare,
Doubting sad end of principle unsound:
Yet, sith he heard but one that did appeare,
He did himselfe encourage and take better cheare.

Nathlesse himselfe he armed all in hast,
And forth he far'd with all his many bad,
Ne stayed step, till that he came at last
Unto the castle which they conquerd had:
There with huge terrour, to be more ydrad,
He sternely marcht before the castle gate,
And, with bold vaunts and ydle threatning, bad
Deliver him his owne, ere yet too late,
To which they had no right, nor any wrongefull state.

The prince staid not his aunswere to devize,
But opening streight the sparre forth to him came,
Full nobly mounted in right warlike wize;
And asked him, if that he were the same,
Who all that wrong unto that wofull dame
So long had done, and from her native land
Exiled her, that all the world spake shame.
He boldly aunswerd him, he there did stand
That would his doings iustifie with his owne hand.

With that so furiously at him he flew,
As if he would have over-run him streight;
And with his huge great yron axe gan hew
So hideously uppon his armour bright,
As he to peeces would have chopt it quight;
That the bold prince was forced foote to give
To his first rage, and yeeld to his despight;
The whilest at him so dreadfully he drive,
That seem'd a marble rocke asunder could have
rive.

Thereto a great advauntage eke he has
Through his three double hands thrise multiplyde,
Besides the double strength which in them was:
For stil, when fit occasion did betyde,
He could his weapon shift from side to syde,
From hand to hand; and with such nimblesse sly
Could wield about, that, ere it were espide,
The wicked stroke did wound his enemy
Behinde, beside, before, as he it list apply.
Which uncouth use whena's the prince perceived,
He gan to watch the wielding of his hand,
Least by such slight he were unwares deceived;
And ever, ere he saw the stroke to land,
He would it meete and warily withstand.
One time when he his weapon faynd to shift,
As he was wont, and chang'd from hand to hand,
He met him with a counter-stroke so swift,
That quite smit off his arme as he if up did lift.

Therewith all fraught with fury and disdaine
He brayd aloud for very fell despight;
And sodainely, t' avenge himselfe againe
Gan into one assemble all the might
Of all his hands, and heaved them on hight,
Thinking to pay him with that one for all:
But the sad steele seizd not, where it was hight,
Uppon the childe, but somewhat short did fall,
And lighting on his horses head him quite did mall.

Powne streight to ground fell his astonisht steed,
And eke to th' earth his burden with him bare;
But he himselfe full lightly from him freed,
And gan himselfe to fight on foote prepare:
Whereof whenas the gyant was aware,
He wox right blyth, as he had got thereby,
And laught so loud, that all his teeth wide bare
One might have seene enraung'd disorderly,
Like to a rancke of piles that pitched are awry.

Eftsoones againe his axe he raught on hie,
Ere he were throughly buckled to his geare,
And can let drive at him so dreadfullie,
That had he chaunced not his shield to reare,
Ere that huge stroke arrived on him neare,
He had him surely cloven quite in twaine :
But th' adamantine shield which he did beare
So well was tempred, that for all his maine
It would no passage yeeld unto his purpose vaine.

Yet was the stroke so forcibly applide,
That made him stagger with uncertaine sway,
As if he would have tottered to one side:
Wherewith full wroth he fiercely gan assay
That curt'sie with like kindnesse to repay,
And smote at him with so importune might,
That two more of his armes did fall away,
Like fruitlesse braunches, which the hatchets slight
Hath pruned from the native tree and cropped quight.

With that all mad and furious he grew,
Like a fell mastiffe through enraging heat,
And curst, and band, and blasphemies forth threw
Against his gods, and fire to them did threat,
And Hell unto himselfe with horrour great :
Thenceforth he car'd no more which way he strooke,
Nor where it light; but gan to chanfe and sweat,
And gnasht his teeth, and his head at him shooke,
And sternely him beheld with grim and ghastly looke.

Nought fear'd the childe his lookes, ne yet his threats;
But onely wexed now the more aware
To save himselfe from those his furious heats,
And watch advauntage how to worke his care,
The which good fortune to him offred faire:
For as he in his rage him overstrooke,
He, ere he could his weapon backe repaire,
His side all bare and naked overtooke, [strooke.
And with his mortal steel quite through the body

Through all three bodies he him strooke attoncé,
That all the three attonce fell on the plaine,
Else should he thrise have needed for the nonce
Them to have stricken, and thrise to have slaine.
So now all three one sencelesse lumpe remaine,
Enwallow'd in his owne blacke bloudy gore,
And byting th' earth for very Deaths disdaine;
Who, with a cloud of night him covering, bore
Downe to the House of Dole, his daies there to de-
plore.

Which when the lady from the castle saw,
Where she with her two sonnes did looking stand,
She towards him in hast herselfe did draw
To greet him the good fortune of his hand:
And all the people both of towne and land,
Which there stood gazing from the citties wall
Uppon these warriours, greedy t' understand
To whether should the victory befall,
Now when they saw it falne, they eke him greeted all.

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