Which cunning craftsman's hand hath overlaid

With fair vermillion, or pure lastery.
Great wonder had the knight to see the maid
So strangely passioned, and to her gently said;
Fair damsell, seemeth by your troubled
cheare

That either me too bold yee weene, this wise
You to molest, or other ill to feare,
That in the secret of your heart close lyes,
From whence it doth, as cloud from
sea,
arise.
If it be I, of pardon I you pray;
But if ought else that I mote not devise,
I will (if please you it discrue) assay
To ease you of that ill, so wisely as I may.
She answer'd nought, but more abasht for
shame,

.

Held down her head, the whiles her lovely face [flame, The flushing blood with blushing did inAnd the strong passion marr'd her modest

grace,

That Guyon marvail'd at her uncouth case:

Till Alma him bespake, Why wonder yee, Fair sir, at that which you so much imbrace? She is the fountaine of your modestee: You shame-fac'd are, but Shame-fac❜dness itself is shee.

§ 31. Beauty.

For, with dread majesty, and awful ire, She broke his wanton darts, and quenched base desire.

The sense of man, and all his mind possess, Nought under heaven so strongly doth allure

As beauty's love-bait, that doth procure Great warriors of their rigour to repress, And mighty hands forget their manliness, Drawn with the pow'r of an heart-robbing And wrapt in fetters of a golden tress, [eye, That can with melting pleasance mollify Their harden'd hearts, enur'd to blood and cruelty.

So whilome learn'd that mighty Jewish

swain, [might, Each of whose locks did match a man of To lay his spoils before his leman's train: So also did the great Cretan knight, For his love's sake, his lion's skin undight : And so did warlike Antony neglect The world's whole rule, for Cleopatra's sight. Such wond'rous pow're has women's fair [reject. To captive men, and make them all the world

aspect,

$32. Bower of Bliss.

lowness

That moves more dear compassion of mind, Than beauty brought t' unworthy wretched

ness

By envy's spares or fortune's freaks unkind :
I, whether lately through her brightness blind,
Or through allegiance and fast fealty,
Which I do owe unto all womankind,

Feel my heart pierc'd with so great agony,
When such I see, that all for pity I could die.
Eftsoons there stepped forth
A goodly lady, clad in hunter's weed,
That seem'd to be a woman of great worth,
And by her stately portance borne of heavenly
birth.

Her face so fair, as flesh it seemed not, But heavenly portraict of bright angels hiew, Clear as the sky withouten blame or blot, Through goodly mixture of complexions dew, And in her cheeks the vermill' red did shew Like roses in a bed of lillies shed, The which ambrosial odours from them threw, And gazers sense with double pleasure fed, Able to heal the sick, and to revive the dead.

In her fair eyes two living lamps did flame, Kindled above, at th' heavenly Maker's light, And darted fiery beams out of the same," So passing pearceant, and so wondrous bright, That quite bereav'd the rash beholders of their sight:

In them the blinded god his lustful fire To kindle oft assay'd, but had no might;

Is sweet and pleasing unto living sense, Or that may daintiest fantasie aggrate,

Was poured forth with plentiful dispense, And made there to abound with lavish afflu

ence.

Goodly it was enclosed round about, As well their enter'd guests to keep within,

As those unruly beasts to hold without; Yet was the fence thereof but weak and thin: Nought fear'd their force that fortilage to win,

But wisdom's powre and temperance's might, By which the mightiest things efforced bin :" And eke the gate was wrought of substance light,

Rather for pleasure than for battery or fight.

It framed was of precious yvory,
That seem'd a work of admirable wit;
And therein all the famous historie
Of Jason and Medæa was ywrit;
Her mighty charmes, her furious loving fit,

His goodly conquest of the golden fleece, His falsed faith, and love to lightly flit,

The wondred Argo, which invent'rous peece First through the Euxian seas bore all the flow'r of Greece.

Ye might have seen the frothy billowes fry Under the ship, as thorough them she went, That seemed waves were into yvory,· ́ Or yvory into the waves were sent : And other where the snowy substance sprent. With vermill-like the boyes bloud therein A piteous spectacle did represent; [shed,

And otherwhiles with gold besprinkled, [wed.
It seem'd th' enchanted flame which did Creusa
All this and more might in this goodly gate
Be read; that ever open stood to all [sate
Which thither came; but in the porch there
A comely personage of stature tall,
And semblance pleasing more than natural,
That travellers to him seem'd to entice;
His looser garments to the ground did fall,

And flew about his heels in wanton wise,
Not £t for speedy pace or manly exercise.

The foe of life, that good envies to all, That secretly doth us procure to fall, Through guileful semblaunce which he makes He of this garden had the governall, [us see, And pleasure's porter was devis'd to be, Holding a staffe in hand for more formalitie.

Thus being entred, they behold around
A large and spatious plaine on every side
Strow'd with pleasaunce, whose faire grassie
ground

Mantled with green, and goodly beatifide
With all the ornaments of Floraes pride,

Wherewith her mother Art, as half in scorne Of niggard Nature, like a pompous bride,

Did deck her, and too lavishly adorne,

Whose bunches hanging downe, seem'd to

entice

All passers by to taste their lushious wine, And did themselves into their hands incline, As freely offering to be gathered: Some deep empurpled as the hyacint,

Some as the rubine laughing, sweetly red, Some like fair emeraudes not yet ripened.

And them amongst, some were of burnisht So made by art, to beautifie the rest, [gold, Which did themselves amongst the leaves enfold,

As lurking from the view of covetous guest, That the weak boughes, with so rich load opprest,

Did bow adown as over-burthened.

There the most dainty paradise on ground, Itself doth offer to his sober eye,

In which all pleasures plentiously abound, And none does others happiness envie : The painted flowres, the trees upshooting hie, The dales for shade, the hills for breathing

place,

The trembling groves, the crystall running by; And that which all fair works doth most aggrace, [place.

th' early morne.

Thereto the heavens always joviall, Lookt on them lovely, still in stedfast state, Ne suffer'd storme nor frost on them to fall, Their tender buds or leaves to violate, Nor scorching heat, nor cold intemperate, T' afflict the creatures which therein did

dwell;

But the mild air with season moderate

Gently attempred and disposed so well, That still it breathed forth sweet spirit and wholesome smell.

More sweet and wholesome than the pleasant hill

Of Rhodope, on which the nymph that bore

A giant-babe, herselfe for griefe did kill; Or the Thessalian Tempè, where of yore Faire Daphne Phoebus' heart with love did

gore;

pare.

One would have thought (so cunningly the rude

And scorned parts were mingled with the fine)
That Nature had for wantonness ensude
Art, and that Art at Nature did repine;
So striveing each the other to undermine,

Each did the other's work more beautify; So differing both in willes, agreed in fine: So all agreed through sweet diversitie, This garden to adorne with all varietie.

And in the midst of all, a fountaine stood, Of richest substance that on earth might be, So pure and shiny, that the silver flood Through every channell running, one might

see;

Most goodly it with pure imageree

[boyes,

Was over-wrought, and shapes of naked Of which some seem'd with lively jollitee

To fly about, playing their wanton toyes, While others did themselves embay in liquid joyes.

And over all, of purest gold, was spred A trayle of ivie in his native hew:

For the rich metall was so coloured, That wight that did not well advised view, Would surely deem it to be ivie true :

Low his lascivious armes adowne did creep That themselves dipping in the silver dew, Their fleecie flowres they tenderly did steepe, [to weepe. Which drops of crystall seem'd for wantonness Infinite streames continually did well Out of this fountaine, sweet and faire to see

The which into an ample laver fell, And shortly grew to so great quantitie, That like a little lake it seem'd to bee;

That seem'd the fountaine in that sea did sayle

And all the margent round about was set With shady lawrell-trees, thence to defend The sunny beames, which on the billows bet,

And those which therein bathed, mote offend.

33. Bower of Proteus.

His bowre is in the bottom of the maine, Under a mighty rock, 'gainst which do rave The roaring billows in their proud disdaine; That with the angry working of the wave, Therein is eaten out an hollow cave,

That seems rough mason's hand, with engine keen,

Had long while laboured it to engrave; [seen,

There was his wonne, ne living wight was Save an old nymph, hight Panope, to keep it clean.

and young,

But thrust them forth still, as they wexed old:
And on her head she wore a tire of gold, [fair,
Adorn'd with gemmes and owches wondrous
Whose passing price uneath was to be told;
And by her side there sate a gentle pair
Of turtle doves, she sitting in an ivory chaire.
§ 35. Cupid.

LIKE a Cupido on Idæan hill,
When having laid his cruel bowe away,

And mortal arrows, wherewith he doth fill The world with wondrous spoils and bloodie prey:

With his faire mother he him dights to play, And with his goodly sisters, graces three; The goddesse pleased with his wanton play, Suffers herself through sleep beguil'd to be, The whiles the other ladies mind their merry glee. [he used First, she him sought in court where most Whylome to haunt, but there she found him not; [cused But many there she found, which sore acHis falsehood, and with foule infamous blot, His cruel deeds and wicked wiles did spot:

Keeping their fleecy flocks, as they were hired, She sweetly heard complaine, both how and

what [thereat. Her sonne had to them doen; yet she did smile And at the upper end of the faire towne, There was an altar built of precious stone,

Of passing value, and of great renowne, On which there stood an image all alone, Of massie gold, which with his own light shone;

And wings it had with sundry colours dight, More sundry colours than the proud pavone Bears in his boasted fan, or Iris bright, When her discolour'd bow she spreads through heaven bright.

Blindfold he was, and in his cruel fist A mortal bow and arrowes keen did hold, With which he shot at random when he list:

[gold Some headed with sad lead, some with pure (Ah, man! beware how thou those darts behold).

A wounded dragon under him did lie,
Whose hideous tayle his left foot did enfold,
And with a shaft was shot through eyther
eye,
[remedy.
That no man forth could draw, ne no man
Next after her, the winged god himself
Came riding on a lyon ravenous,

That man and beast with powre imperious
Taught to obey the menage of that elfe,
Subdueth to his kingdom tyrannous :

His blindfold eyes he had awhile unbind, That his proud spoyle of that same dolorous

Fair dame he might behold in perfect kind; Which seen he much rejoyceth in his cruel

mind.

Of which full proud, himself up-rearing hye, He looked round about with stern disdaine; And did survey his goodly company; And marshalling the evil ordered traine,

AND in his hand a bended bow was seene, And many arrowes under his right side,

All deadly dangerous, all cruel keene, Headed with flint, and feathers bloudie dide. Such as the Indians in their quivers hide : Those could he well direct, and straite as line, And bid them strike the marke which he had eyde;

Ne was there salve, ne was there medicine, That mote recure their wounds; so inly they did tine.

As pale and wan as ashes was his look, His body lean and meagre as a rake,

And skin all wither'd as a dried rook, Thereto as cold and drery as a snake, That seem'd to tremble everinore, and quake; All in a canvas thin he was bedight, And girded with a belt of twisted brake, Upon his head he wore an helmet light, Made of a dead man's skull, that seem'd a gastly sight.

39. Defamation.

HIM in a narrow place he overtook,
And fierce assailing forc't him turn againe ;

Sternly he turn'd again, when he him strooke With his sharp steele, and ran at him amaine With open mouth, that seemed to containe

A full good peck within the utmost brim, All set with iron teeth with ranges twaine, That terrified his foes, and armed him, Appearing like the mouth of Orcus, grisly grim.

And therein were a thousand tongues emOf sundry kindes, and sundry quality; [pight, Some were of dogs, that barked day and

night,

And some of cats, that wralling still did cry; And some of bears, that groynd continually;

And some of tigers that did seem to gren And snar at all that ever passed by: [men, But most of them were tongues of mortal That spake reproachfully, not caring where nor when.

And then amongst were mingled here and there, [stings, The tongues of serpents, with three forked That spat out poison, and bore bloudy gere At all that came within his ravenings, And spake licentious words, and hateful things, Of good and bad alike, of low and hie; Ne Cæsars spared he a whit, nor kings,

But either blotted them with infamy, Or bit them with his baneful teeth of injury. $ 40. Desire.

AND him beside marcht amorous Desire, Who seem'd of riper years than th' other

swaine ;

Yet was that other swaine the elder syre,

And gave him being, common to them twaine : His garment was disguised very vaine,

And his embroidered bonet sate awry; "Twixt both his hands flew sparks he close did strain,

Which still he blew, and kindled busily, That soon they life conceiv'd, and forth in flames did fly.

$ 41. Detraction. THE other nothing better was than she; Agreeing in bad will and cancred kind,

But in bad manner they did disagree; For, what-so Envie good or bad did find, She did conceale and murder her own mind; But this, whatever evil she conceaved, Did spread abroad, and throw in the open wind.

Yet this in all her words might be perceived, That all she sought was men's good names to have bereaved.

For whatsoever good by any said, [vent Or done, she heard, she would strait-waies inHow to deprave, or slanderously upbraid, Or to misconstrue of a man's intent, And turne to ill the thing that well was ment. Therefore she used often to resort To common haunts, and company's frequent, To hark what any one did good report, To blot the same with blame, or wrest in wicked sort.

And if that any ill she heard of any, She would it eke, and make it worse by telling, And take great joy to publish it to many, That every matter worse was for her melling: Her name was hight Detraction, and her dwelling

Was near to Envy, even her neighbour next; A wicked hag, and Envy's self excelling

In mischiefe: for, herself she only vext: But this same, both herself and others eke perplext.

Her face was ugly, and her mouth distort,
Foaming with poyson round about her gills,
In which her cursed tongue (full sharp and
short)

Appear'd like aspis sting, that closely kills,
Or cruelly does wound whom-so she wills;
A distaff in her other hand she had,
Upon the which she little spinnes, but spils,
And faines to weave false tales and leasings
bad,
[disprad.
To throw among the good, when others had

$42. Discord's House.

HARD by the gates of hell her dwelling is, There whereas all plagues and harmes abound, Which punish wicked men, that walk amiss; It is a darksome delve farre under ground, With thornes and barren brakes environd round.

That none the same way may out-win; Yet many wayes to enter may be found,

But none to issue forth when one is in ; For discord harder is to end than to begin. And all within the riven walles were hung With ragged monuments of times fore-past,

Of which, the sad effects of discord sung; There were rent robes, and broken scepters Altars defil'd, and holy things defac't, [plac't, Dishevered spears, and shields ytorne in

twaine.

Great cittys ransack't, and strong castles ras't,

Nations captived, and huge armies slaine : Of all which ruines there some reliques did remaine.

There was the signe of antique Babylon, Of fatal Thebes, of Rome that raigned long, Of sacred Salem, and sad Ilion,

For memory of which, on high there hong The golden apple (cause of all their wrong)

For which the three faire goddesses did strive :

There also was the name of Nimrod strong,
Of Alexander, and his princes five,
Which shar'd to them the spoiles which he
had got alive.

And there the reliques of the drunken fray, The which amongst the Lapithees befell,

And of the bloody feast, which sent away So many Centaures' drunken soules to hell, That under great Alcides' furie fell:

And of the dreadful discord, which did drive The noble Argonauts to outrage fell,

That each of life sought other to deprive, All mindless of the golden-fleece which made

them strive.

Some of borne brethren, prov'd unnatural;
Some of deare lovers, foes perpetual;

Witness their broken bands there to be seen, Their girlonds rent, their bowres dispoiled all; The monuments whereof there byding been, As plaine as at the first, when they were fresh and green.

Such was the house within; but all without The barren ground was full of wicked weeds, Which she herself had sowen all about, Now growen great, at first of little seedes, The seedes of evil words, and factious deedes; Which when to ripeness due they growen

are,

Bring forth an infinite increase, that breedes

Tumultuous trouble, and contentious jarre, The which most often end in blood-shed and in warre.

And those same cursed seedes do also serve To her for bread, and yield a living food :

For life it is to her, when others sterve Thro' mischievous debate, and deadly feood, That she may suck their life, and drink their blood, [been fed, With which she from her childhood had For she at first was born of hellish brood, And by infernal furies nourished, That by her monstrous shape might easily be

read.

Her face most foule and filthy was to see, With squinting eyes contrary ways entended, And loathly mouth, unmeet a mouth to be; That nought but gall and venim comprehended,

And wicked words that God and man offended:

Her lying tongue was in two parts divided, And both the parts did speak, and both contended, [cided,

And as her tongue, so was her heart deThat never thought one thing, but doubly still was guided.

Als as she double spake, so heard she double, With matchless ears deformed and distort,