The morrow next, when day gan to uplooke, He also gan uplooke with drery eye, Like one that out of deadly dreame awooke: Where when he saw his faire Priscilla by, He deepely sigh'd, and groaned inwardly, To thinke of this ill state in which she stood; To which she for his sake had weetingly 1 Now brought herselfe, and blam'd her noble blood: For first, next after life, he tendered 2 her good.
Which she perceiving did with plenteous teares
His care 3 more then her owne compassionate,
Forgetfull of her owne to minde his feares:
So both conspyring gan to intimate 5
Each others griefe with zeale affectionate,
And twixt them twaine with equall care to cast
How to save whole her hazarded estate 6;
For which the onely helpe now left them last
Seem'd to be Calidore: all other helpes were past.
Him they did deeme, as sure to them he seemed,
A courteous Knight and full of faithfull trust;
Therefore to him their cause they best esteemed
Whole to commit, and to his dealing iust.
Earely, so soone as Titans beames forth brust"
Through the thicke clouds, in which they steeped lay
All night in darkenesse, duld with yron rust,
Calidore rising up as fresh as day
Gan freshly him addresse unto his former way.
But first him seemed fit that wounded Knight
To visite, after this nights perillous passe;
And to salute him if he were in plight,
And eke that Lady his faire lovely lasse.
There he him found much better then he was;
And moved speach to him of things of course,
The anguish of his paine to over-passe 2:
Mongst which he namely 3 did to him discourse
Of former daies mishap, his sorrowes wicked sourse.
Of which occasion Aldine taking hold
Gan breake to him the fortunes of his love,
And all his disadventures to unfold;
That Calidore it dearly deepe did move :
In th' end, his kyndly courtesie to prove,
He him by all the bands of love besought,
And as it mote a faithfull friend behove,
To safe-conduct his Love, and not for ought
To leave, till to her fathers house he had her brought.
Sir Calidore his faith thereto did plight
It to performe: so after little stay,
That she herselfe had to the journey dight,5
He passed forth with her in faire array,
Fearlesse who ought did thinke or ought did say,
Sith his own thought he knew most cleare from wite 7:
1 Then, than. 2 Over-passe, alleviate.
• Disadventures, misfortunes. 5 Dight, prepared.
So, as they past together on their way,
He can devize this counter-cast of slight,
To give faire colour to that Ladies cause in sight.
Streight to the carkasse of that Knight he went,
(The cause of all this evill, who was slaine
The day before by iust avengement
Of noble Tristram,) where it did remaine;
There he the necke thereof did cut in twaine,
And tooke with him the head, the signe of shame.
So forth he passed thorough that daies paine,
Till to that Ladies fathers house he came;
Most pensive man, through feare what of his childe became.
There he arriving boldly did present
The fearefull Lady to her father deare,
Most perfect pure, and guiltlesse innocent
Of blame, as he did on his knighthood sweare,
Since first he saw her, and did free from feare
Of a discourteous Knight, who her had reft
And by outragious force away did beare:
Witnesse thereof he shew'd his head there left,
And wretched life forlorne1 for vengement of his theft.
Most ioyfull man her sire was, her to see,
And heare th' adventure of her late mischaunce;
And thousand thankes to Calidore for fee 2
Of his large paines in her deliveraunce
- This counter-cast of slight.] This dexterous or ingenious
Did yeeld; ne lesse the Lady did advaunce.
Thus having her restored trustily,
As he had vow'd, some small continuance
He there did make, and then most carefully
Unto his first exploite he did himselfe apply.
So, as he was pursuing of his quest,
He chaunst to come whereas a iolly1 Knight
In covert shade himselfe did safely rest,
To solace with his Lady in delight:
His warlike armes he had from him undight2;
For that himselfe he thought from daunger free,
And far from envious eyes that mote him spight:
And eke the Lady was full faire to see,
And courteous withall, becomming her degree.
To whom Sir Calidore approaching nye,
Ere they were well aware of living wight,
Them much abasht, but more himselfe thereby,
That he so rudely did uppon them light,
And troubled had their quiet loves delight:
Yet since it was his fortune, not his fault,
Himselfe thereof he labour'd to acquite,
And pardon crav'd for his so rash default,
That he gainst courtesie so fowly did default.3
With which his gentle words and goodly wit
He soone allayd that Knights conceiv'd displeasure,
1 Iolly, handsome. 2 Undight, taken off. 3 Default, offend.
XIX. 5.- Ne lesse the Lady did advaunce.] Nor did the lady offer him less.
That he besought him downe by him to sit,
That they mote treat of things abrode at leasure,
And of adventures, which had in his measure
Of so long waies to him befallen late.
So downe he sate, and with delightfull pleasure
His long adventures gan to him relate,
Which he endured had through daungerous debate:
Of which whilest they discoursed both together, The faire Serena (so his Lady hight 1) Allur’d with myldnesse of the gentle wether And plesaunce of the place, the which was dight 2 With divers flowres distinct 3 with rare delight, Wandred about the fields, as liking led Her wavering lust after her wandring sight, To make a garland to adorne her hed, Without suspect of ill or daungers hidden dred.
All sodainely out of the forrest nere
The Blatant Beast forth rushing unaware
Caught her thus loosely wandring here and there,
And in his wide great mouth away her bare
Crying aloud to shew her sad misfare 5
Unto the Knights, and calling oft for ayde;
Who with the horrour of her haplesse care 6
Hastily starting up, like men dismayde,
Ran after fast to reskue the distressed Mayde.
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