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LI.

That sayd, her rownd about she from her turnd,
She turned her contráry to the sunne;
Thrise she her turnd contráry, and returnd
All cóntrary; for she the right did shunne;
And ever what she did was streight undonne.
So thought she to undoe her daughter's love:
But love, that is in gentle brest begonne,
No ydle charmes so lightly may remove;
That well can witnesse, who by tryall it does prove.

LII.

Ne ought it mote the noble Mayd avayle,

Ne slake the fury of her cruell flame,

But that shee still did waste, and still did wayle,
That, through long languour and hart-burning brame,
She shortly like a pyned ghost became

Which long hath waited by the Stygian strond:
That when old Glaucè saw, for feare least blame
Of her miscarriage should in her be fond,

She wist not how t' amend, nor how it to withstond.

CANTO III.

Merlin bewrayes to Britomart
The state of Arthegall:

And shewes the famous progeny,

Which from them springen shall.

I.

MOST sacred fyre, that burnest mightily
In living brests, ykindled first above

Emongst th' eternall spheres and lamping sky,
And thence pourd into men, which men call Love ;
Not that same, which doth base affections move
In brutish mindes, and filthy lust inflame;
But that sweete fit that doth true beautie love,
And choseth Vertue for his dearest dame,

Whence spring all noble deedes and never-dying fame:

II.

Well did Antiquity a god thee deeme,

That over mortall mindes hast so great might,

To order them as best to thee doth seeme,

And all their actions to direct aright:

The fatall purpose of divine foresight

Thou doest effect in destined descents,

Through deepe impression of thy secret might,
And stirredst up th' heroës high intents,

Which the late world admyres for wondrous moniments.

III.

But thy dredd dartes in none doe triumph more,
Ne braver proofe in any of thy powre

Shewd'st thou, then in this royall Maid of yore,
Making her seeke an unknowne Paramoure,
From the worlds end, through many a bitter stowre:
From whose two loynes thou afterwardes did rayse
Most famous fruites of matrimoniall bowre, [prayse,
Which through the earth have spredd their living
That fame in tromp of gold eternally displayes.

IV.

Begin then, O my dearest sacred Dame,
Daughter of Phoebus and of Memorye,
That doest ennoble with immortall name
The warlike worthies, from antiquitye,
In thy great volume of Eternitye;
Begin, O Clio, and recount from hence
My glorious Soveraines goodly Auncestrye,
Till that by dew degrees, and long protense,
Thou have it lastly brought unto her Excellence.

V.

Full many wayes within her troubled mind

Old Glaucè cast to cure this Ladies griefe;
Full many wayes she sought, but none could find,
Nor herbes, nor charmes, nor counsel that is chiefe
And choicest med'cine for sick harts reliefe:
Forthy great care she tooke, and greater feare,
Least that it should her turne to fowle repriefe
And sore reproch, whenso her father deare

Should of his dearest daughters hard misfortune heare.

VI.

At last she her avisde, that he which made
That Mirrhour, wherein the sicke Damosell
So straungely vewed her straunge lovers shade,
To weet, the learned Merlin, well could tell
Under what coast of heaven the Man did dwell,
And by what means his love might best be wrought:
For, though beyond the Africk Ismaël

Or th' Indian Peru he were, she thought

Him forth through infinite endevour to have sought.

VII.

Forthwith themselves disguising both in straunge
And base attyre, that none might them bewray,
To Maridunum, that is now by chaunge
Of name Cayr-Merdin cald, they tooke their way:
There the wise Merlin whylome wont (they say)
To make his wonne, low underneath the ground,
In a deepe delve, farre from the vew of day,
That of no living wight he mote be found,
Whenso he counseld with his sprights encompast round.

VIII.

And, if thou ever happen that same way
To traveill, go to see that dreadful place:
It is an hideous hollow cave (they say)
Under a rock that lyes a litle space

From the swift Barry, tombling downe apace
Emongst the woody hilles of Dyneuowre:
But dare thou not, I charge, in any cace

To enter into that same balefull bowre,

For feare the cruell feendes should thee unwares devowre:

IX.

But standing high aloft low lay thine eare,
of yron chaines

And there such ghastly noyse
And brasen caudrons thou shalt rombling heare,
Which thousand sprights with long enduring paines
Doe tosse, that it will stonn thy feeble braines;
And oftentimes great grones, and grievous stownds,
When too huge toile and labour them constraines ;
And oftentimes loud strokes and ringing sowndes
From under that deepe rock most horribly rebowndes.

X.

The cause, some say, is this: A litle whyle
Before that Merlin.dyde, he did intend
A brasen wall in compas to compyle
About Cairmardin, and did it commend
Unto these sprights to bring to perfect end:
During which worke the Lady of the Lake,
Whom long he lov'd, for him in hast did send;
Who, thereby forst his workemen to forsake,
Them bownd, till his retourne, their labour not to slake.

XI.

In the meane time through that false Ladies traine
He was surprisd, and buried under beare,

Ne ever to his worke returnd againe :

Nath'lesse those feends may not their work forbeare,
So greatly his commandëment they feare,

But there doe toyle and traveile day and night,
Untill that brasen wall they up doe reare:

For Merlin had in magick more insight
Then ever him before or after living wight :

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