That seemd like silke and silver woven neare; But neither silke nor silver therein did appeare.

The blazing brightnesse of her beauties beame,
And glorious light of her sunshyny face,
To tell, were as to strive against the streame:
My ragged rimes are all too rude and bace
Her heavenly lineaments for to enchace.
Ne wonder; for her own deare loved knight,
All were she daily with himselfe in place,
Did wonder much at her celestial sight:
Oft had he seene her faire, but never so faire dight.

So fairely dight when she in presence came,
She to her syre made humble reverence,
And bowed low, that her right well became,
And added grace unto her excellence :
Who with great wisedome and grave eloquence
Thus gan to say-But, eare he thus had sayd,
With flying speede, and seeming great pretence,
Came running in, much like a man dismayd,
A messenger with letters, which his message sayd.

All in the open hall amazed stood

At suddeinnesse of that unwary sight,

And wondred at his breathlesse hasty mood;
But he for nought would stay his passage right,
Till fast before the king he did alight;
Where falling flat great humblesse he did make,
And kist the ground whereon his foot was pight;
Then to his handes that writt he did betake,
Which he disclosing, read thus, as the paper spake
VOL. II.

;

To thee, most mighty king of Eden fayre,
Her greeting sends in these sad lines addrest,
The wofull daughter and forsaken heyre
Of that great emperour of all the west;
And bids thee be advized for the best,
Ere thou thy daughter linck, in holy band
Of wedlocke, to that unknowen guest :
For he already plighted his right hand
Unto another love, and to another land.

"To me sad mayd, or rather widow sad,
He was affyaunced long time before,
And sacred pledges he both gave, and had,
False erraunt knight, infamous, and forsworne!
Witnesse the burning altars, which he swore,
And guilty Hevens of his bold periury :
Which though he hath polluted oft of yore,
Yet I to them for iudgement iust doe fly,
And them coniure t' avenge this shamefull injury!

"Therefore since mine he is, or free or bond,
Or false or trew, or living or else dead,
Withhold, O soverayne prince, your hasty hond
From knitting league with him, I you aread;
Ne weene my right with strength adowne to tread,
Through weaknesse of my widowhed or woe:
For truth is strong her rightfull cause to plead,
And shall finde friends, if need requireth soe.
So bids thee well to fare, thy neither friend nor foe.

When he these bitter byting wordes had red,
The tydings straunge did him abashed make,
That still he sate long time astonished,
As in great muse, ne word to creature spake.

At last his solemn silence thus he brake,

With doubtfull eyes fast fixed on his guest; "Redoubted knight, that for myne only sake Thy life and honor late adventures;

Let nought be hid from me, that ought to be exprest.

"What meane these bloody vowes and idle threats,
Throwne out from womanish impatient mynd?
What Hevens? what altars? what enraged heates,
Here heaped up with termes of love unkynd,
My conscience cleare with guilty bands would
bynd?

High God be witnesse, that I guiltlesse ame!
But if yourselfe, sir Knight, ye faulty fynd,
Or wrapped be in loves of former dame,

With cryme doe not it cover, but disclose the same."

To whom the Redcrosse knight this answere sent;
"My lord, my king; be nought hereat dismayd,
Till well ye wote by grave intendiment,
What woman, and wherefore, doth me upbrayd
With breach of love and loialty betrayd.
It was in my mishaps, as hitherward

I lately traveild, that unwares I strayd

Out of my way, through perils straunge and hard; That day should faile me ere I had them all declard.

"There did I find, or rather I was fownd
Of this false woman that Fidessa hight,
Fidessa hight the falsest dame on grownd,
Most false Duessa, royall richly dight,
That easy wast t' inveigle weaker sight:
Who by her wicked arts and wiely skill,
Too false and strong for earthly skill or might,

Unwares me wrought unto her wicked will,
And to my foe betrayd, when least I feared ill."

Then stepped forth the goodly royall mayd,
And, on the ground herselfe prostráting low,
With sober countenance thus to him sayd;
"O pardon me, my soveraine lord, to show
The secret treasons, which of late I know
To have bene wrought by that false sorceresse :
She, onely she, it is, that earst did throw
This gentle knight into so great distresse,
That death him did awaite in daily wretchednesse.

"And now it seemes, that she suborned hath
This crafty messenger with letters vaine,
To worke new woe and unprovided scath,
By breaking of the band betwixt us twaine;
Wherein she used hath the practicke paine
Of this false footman, chokt with simplenesse,
Whome if ye please for to discover plaine,
Ye shall him Archimago find, I ghesse,

The falsest man alive; who tries, shall find no lesse."

The king was greatly moved at her speach;
And, all with suddein indignation fraight,
Bad on that messenger rude hands to reach.
Eftsoones the gard, which on his state did wait,
Attacht that faytor false, and bound him strait :
Whose seeming sorely chauffed at his band,
As chained beare whom cruell dogs doe bait,
With ydle force did faine them to withstand;
And often semblaunce made to scape out of their
hand,

But they him layd full low in dungeon deepe,
And bound him hand and foote with yron chains;
And with continual watch did warely keepe.
Who then would thinke, that by his subtile trains
He could escape fowle death or deadly pains?
Thus, when that princes wrath was pacifide,
He gan renew the late forbidden bains,

And to the knight his daughter dear he tyde
With sacred rites and vowes for ever to abyde,

His owne two hands the holy knotts did knitt,
That none but death for ever can divide;
His owne two hands, for such a turne most fitt,
The housling fire did kindle and provide,
And holy water thereon sprinckled wide;
At which the bushy teade a groome did light,
And sacred lamp in secret chamber hide,
Where it should not be quenched day nor night,
For feare of evil fates, but burnen ever bright,

Then gan they sprinckle all the posts with wine,
And made great feasts to solemnize that day:
They all perfumde with frankincense divine,
And preoious odours fetcht from far away,
That all the house did sweat with great aray;
And all the while sweete musicke did apply
Her curious skill the warbling notes to play,
To drive away the duli melancholy;

The whiles one sung a song of love and iollity.

During the which there was an hevenly noise
Heard sownd through all the pallace pleasantly,
Like as it had bene many an angels voice
Singing before th' Eternall Maiesty,
In their trinall triplicities on hye: