He foot by foot him followed alway,

Ne would him suffer once to shrinke asyde; But, ioyning close, huge lode at him did lay; Who flying still did ward, and warding fly away.

XXIX.

But, when his foe he still so eger saw,
Unto his heeles himselfe he did betake,
Hoping unto some refuge to withdraw:
Ne would the Prince him ever foot forsake
Whereso he went, but after him did make.
He fled from roome to roome, from place to place,
Whylest every ioynt for dread of death did quake,
Still looking after him that did him chace;

That made him evermore increase his speedie pace.

XXX.

At last he up into the chamber came
Whereas his Love was sitting all alone,

Wayting what tydings of her folke became.
There did the Prince him overtake anone
Crying in vaine to her him to bemone;

And with his sword him on the head did smyte,
That to the ground he fell in senselesse swone:
Yet, whether thwart or flatly it did lyte,

The tempred steele did not into his braynepan1 byte.

XXXI.

Which when the Ladie saw, with great affright

She starting up began to shrieke aloud;
And, with her garment covering him from sight,
Seem'd under her protection him to shroud;

And, falling lowly at his feet, her bowd
Upon her knee, intreating him for grace,

1 Braynepan, head.

And often him besought, and prayd, and vowd;
That, with the ruth of her so wretched case,
He stayd his second strooke and did his hand abase.2

XXXII.

Her weed 3 she then withdrawing did him discover;
Who now come to himselfe yet would not rize,
But still did lie as dead, and quake, and quiver,
That even the Prince his basenesse did despize;
And eke his Dame, him seeing in such guize,
Gan him recomfort and from ground to reare:
Who rising up at last in ghastly wize,

Like troubled ghost, did dreadfully appeare,
As one that had no life him left through former feare.

XXXIII.

Whom when the Prince so deadly saw dismayd,
He for such basenesse shamefully him shent,4
And with sharpe words did bitterly upbrayd;
"Vile cowheard Dogge, now doe I much repent,
That ever I this life unto thee lent,
Whereof thou caytive so unworthie art,
That both thy Love, for lacke of hardiment,5

And eke thyselfe, for want of manly hart,

And eke all Knights hast shamed with this knightlesse part.

XXXIV.

"Yet further hast thou heaped shame to shame,
And crime to crime, by this thy cowheard feare:
For first it was to thee reprochfull blame,
T'erect this wicked custome, which I heare
Gainst errant Knights and Ladies thou dost reare;
Whom when thou mayst thou dost of arms despoile,

2 Abase, lower.

1 Ruth, pity.
Shent, reproved.

3 Weed, dress.

5 Hardiment, boldness.

Or of their upper garment which they weare:

Yet doest thou not with manhood, but with guile, Maintaine this evil use, thy foes thereby to foile.

XXXV.

"And lastly, in approvance of thy wrong,
To shew such faintnesse and foule cowardize
Is greatest shame; for oft it falles, that strong
And valiant Knights doe rashly enterprize
Either for fame, or else for exercize,

A wrongfull quarrell to maintaine by fight;
Yet have through prowesse and their brave emprize
Gotten great worship in this worldës sight:

For greater force there needs to maintaine wrong then1 right.

XXXVI.

"Yet, since thy life unto this Ladie fayre
I given have, live in reproch and scorne!
Ne ever armes ne ever knighthood dare
Hence to professe; for shame is to adorne
With so brave badges one so basely borne ;
But onely breath, sith 2 that I did forgive!"
So having from his craven bodie torne

Those goodly armes, he them away did give,
And onely suffred him this wretched life to live.

XXXVII.

There whilest he thus was setling things above,
Atwene that Ladie myld and recreant Knight,
To whom his life he graunted for her love,
He gan bethinke him in what perilous plight
He had behynd him left that salvage wight
Amongst so many foes, whom sure he thought
By this quite slaine in so unequall fight :

1 Then, than. 2 Sith, since. 3 Atwene, between.

Therefore descending backe in haste he sought If yet he were alive, or to destruction brought.

XXXVIII.

There he him found environed about

With slaughtred bodies, which his hand had slaine;
And laying yet afresh with courage stout
Upon the rest that did alive remaine;

Whom he likewise right sorely did constraine,

Like scattred sheepe, to seeke for safëtie,
After he gotten had with busie paine

Some of their weapons which thereby did lie,

With which he layd about, and made them fast to flie.

XXXIX.

Whom when the Prince so felly saw to rage, Approaching to him neare, his hand he stayd, And sought, by making signes, him to asswage: Who them perceiving, streight to him obayd, As to his Lord, and downe his weapons layd, As if he long had to his heasts bene trayned. Thence he him brought away, and up convayd Into the chamber, where that Dame remayned With her unworthy Knight, who ill him entertayned.

XL.

Whom when the Salvage saw from daunger free, Sitting beside his Ladie there at ease, He well remembred that the same was hee, Which lately sought his Lord for to displease: Tho 2 all in rage he on him streight did seaze, As if he would in peeces him have rent; And, were not that the Prince did him appeaze, He had not left one limbe of him unrent: But streight he held his hand at his commaundëment.

XLI.

Thus having all things well in peace ordayned,
The Prince himselfe there all that night did rest;
Where him Blandina fayrely entertayned

With all the courteous glee and goodly feast
The which for him she could imagine best:
For well she knew the wayes to win good will
Of every wight, that were not too infest,1

[skill.

And how to please the minds of good and ill, Through tempering of her words and lookes by wondrous

XLII.

Yet were her words and lookes but false and fayned,

To some hid end to make more easie way,

Or to allure such fondlings whom she trayned 3
Into her trap unto their owne decay:

Thereto, when needed, she could weepe and pray,
And when her listed she could fawne and flatter;
Now smyling smoothly like to sommers day,

Now glooming sadly, so to cloke her matter;

Yet were her words but wynd, and all her tears but water.

XLIII.

Whether such grace were given her by kynd,5
As women wont their guilefull wits to guyde;
Or learnd the art to please, I doe not fynd:
This well I wote, that she so well applyde

Her pleasing tongue, that soon she pacify de
The wrathfull Prince, and wrought her husbands peace:
Who nathëlesse, not therewith satisfy de,

His rancorous despight did not releasse

Ne secretly from thought of fell revenge surceasse:

1 Infest, hostile.

2 Fondlings, fools.

• Thereto, also.

5 Kynd, nature.

Trayned, allured, drew.

• Wote, know.