VI.
Them in twelve Troupes their Captein did dispart,
And round about in fittest steades? did place,
Where each might best offend his proper part,
And his contrary obiect most deface,
As every one seem'd meetest in that cace.
Seven of the same against the Castle-Gate
In strong entrenchments he did closely place,

Which with incessaunt force and endlesse hate
They battred day and night, and entraunce did awate.

VII.
The other Five five sondry wayes he sett
Against the five great Bulwarkes of that pyle,
And unto each a Bulwarke did arrett,?
T assayle with open force or hidden guyle,
T'
In hope thereof to win victorious spoile.
They all that charge did fervently apply 3
With greedie malice and importune 4 toyle,

And planted there their huge artillery,
With which they dayly made most dreadfull battery.

VIII.
The first Troupe was a monstrous rablement
Of fowle misshapen wightes, of which some were
Headed like owles, with beckes 5 uncomely bent;
Others like dogs; others like gryphons dreare;
And some had wings, and some had clawes to teare:

3

Steades, positions. . Arrett, appoint.

Apply, observe.

4 Importune, troublesome, restless.
5 Beckes, beaks.

3

VI. 6. — Seven, &c.] These, according to Upton, represent the seven deadly sins, and the Five mentioned in the next stanza, the vices that attack the senses. VOI. II.

10

2

And every one of them had lynces eyes;
And every one did bow and arrowes beare:

All those were lawlesse Lustes, corrupt Envýes,
And covetous Aspects, all cruell enimyes.

IX.
Those same against the Bulwarke of the Sight
Did lay strong siege and battailous assault,
Ne once did yield it respitt day nor night;
But soone as Titan gan bis head exault,
And soone againe as he his light withhault,
Their wicked engins they against it bent;
That is, each thing by which the eyes may fault:

But two then all more huge and violent,
Beautie and Money, they that Bulwarke sorely rent.

X.
The second Bulwarke was the Hearing Sence,
Gainst which the second Troupe dessignment 3 makes;
Deformed creatures, in straunge difference:
Some having heads like harts, some like to snakes,
Some like wild bores late rouzd out of the brakes;
Slaunderous Reproches, and fowle Infamies,
Leasinges, Backbytinges, and vain-glorious Crakes,

Bad Counsels, Prayses, and false Flatteries :
All those against that Fort did bend their batteries.

XI.
Likewise that same third Fort, that is the Smell,
Of that third Troupe was cruelly assayd;
Whose hideous shapes were like to feendes of hell,

4

5

7

Some like to houndes, some like to apes, dismayd ";
Some, like to puttockes, all in plumes arayd;
All shap't according their conditions:
For, by those ugly formes weren pourtrayd

Foolish Delights, and fond * Abusions,
Which doe that Sence besiege with light illusions.

XII.
And that fourth Band which cruell battry bent
Against the fourth Bulwarke, that is the Taste,
Was, as the rest, a grysierablement;
Some mouth'd like greedy oystriges; some faste?
Like loathly toades; some fashioned in the waste
Like swine: for so deformd is Luxury,
Surfeat, Misdiet, and unthriftie Waste,

Vaine Feastes, and ydle Superfluity :
All those this Sences Fort assayle incessantly.

XIII.
But the fift Troupe, most horrible of hew
And ferce of force, is dreadfull to report;
For some like snailes, some did like spyders shew,
And some like ugly urchins 8 thick and short:
Cruelly they assayled that fift Fort,
Armed with dartes of sensuall Delight,
With stinges of carnall Lust, and strong effort

Of feeling Pleasures, with which day and night Against that same fift Bulwarke they continued fight.

XIV. Thus these twelve Troupes with dreadfull puissaunce Against that Castle restlesse siege did lay,

8

1

| Dismayd, ill made.
? Puttockes, kites.
3 According, according to.
* Fond, foolish.

6 Abusions, abuses.
6 Grysie, filthy, or squalid.
7 Faste, faced.
8 Urchins, hedgehogs.

And evermore their hideous ordinaunce
Upon the Bulwarkes cruelly did play,
That now it gan to threaten neare decay:
And evermore their wicked Capitayn
Provoked them the breaches to assay,

Sometimes with threats, sometimes with hope of gayn, Which by the ransack of that Peece ? they should attayn.

XV.
On th' other syde, th' asseiged’ Castles Ward
Their stedfast stonds 5 did mightily maintaine,
And many bold repulse and many hard
Atchievement wrought, with perill and with payne,
That goodly Frame from ruine to sustaine:
And those two brethren Gyauntes did defend
The walles so stoutly with their sturdie mayne,

That never entraunce any durst pretend,
But they to direful death their groning ghosts did send.

XVI.
The noble virgin, Ladie of the place,
Was much dismayed with that dreadful sight,
(For never was she in so evill cace,)
Till that the Prince, seeing her wofull plight,
Gan her recomfort from so sad affright,
Offring his service and his dearest life
For her defence against that Carle to fight,

Which was their Chiefe and th' authour of that strife : She him remercied? as the patrone of her life.

6

1 Ordinaunce, battering engines.
2 Peece, castle.
3 Asseiged, besieged.
4 Ward, guard.

$ Stonds, stations.

Mayne, force.
? Remercied, thanked.

XV. 6. — Brethren Gyauntes.] Prince Arthur and his squire, giants in courage and prowess.

XVII.
Eftsoones 1 himselfe in glitterand armes he dight,
And his well proved weapons to him henta;
So taking courteous congè 3 he behight 4

14
Those gates to be unbar'd, and forth he went.
Fayre mote he thee, the prowest 5 and most gent,
That ever brandished bright steele on hye!
Whom soone as that unruly rablement

With his gay Squyre issewing did espye,
They reard a most outrageous dreadfull yelling cry:

XVIII.
And therewithall attonce at him let fly
Their fluttring arrowes, thicke as flakes of snow,
And round about him flocke impetuously,
Like a great water-flood, that tombling low
From the high mountaines, threates to overflow
With suddein fury all the fertile playne,
And the sad husbandmans long hope doth throw

Adowne the streame, and all his vowes make vayne; Nor bounds nor banks his headlong ruine may sustayne.

XIX. Upon his shield there heaped hayle he bore, And with his sword disperst the raskall' flockes, Which fled asоnder, and him fell before; As withered leaves drop from their dryed stockes, When the wroth western wind does reave 8 their locks :

8 And underneath him his courageous steed,