XX.

There lay she covered with confused preasse
Of carcases, which dying on her fell :

1

Tho, whenas he was dead, the fray gan ceasse;
And each to other calling did compell

To stay their cruell hands from slaughter fell,
Sith 3 they that were the cause of all were gone:
Thereto they all attonce agreéd well;

And, lighting candles new, gan search anone,

How many of their friends were slaine, how many fone.*

XXI.

Their Captaine there they cruelly found kild, And in his armes the dreary dying Mayd, Like a sweet angell twixt two clouds uphild 5; Her lovely light was dimmed and decayd With cloud of death upon her eyes displayd; Yet did the cloud make even that dimmed light Seeme much more lovely in that darknesse layd, And twixt the twinckling of her eye-lids bright To sparke out litle beames, like starres in foggie night.

XXII.

But, when they mov'd the carcases aside,
They found that life did yet in her remaine;
Then all their helpes they busily applyde
To call the soule backe to her home againe;
And wrought so well, with labour and long paine,
That they to life recovered her at last:

Who, sighing sore, as if her hart in twaine

Had riven bene and all her hart-strings brast,6

With drearie drouping eyne lookt up like one aghast.

2 Tho, then.

3 Sith, since. Brast, burst, broken

1 Preasse, press.

▲ Fone, foes. 5 Uphild, upheld.

XXIII.

There she beheld, that sore her griev'd to see,
Her father and her friends about her lying,
Herselfe sole left a second spoyle to bee

Of those, that having saved her from dying
Renew'd her death by timely death denying.
What now is left her but to wayle and weepe,
Wringing her hands, and ruefully loud crying!
Ne cared she her wound in teares to steepe,
Albe1 with all their might those Brigants her did keepe.

XXIV.

But when they saw her now reliv'd againe,
They left her so, in charge of one, the best
Of many worst, who with unkind disdaine
And cruell rigour her did much molest;
Scarse yeelding her due food or timely rest,
And scarsely suffring her infestred wound,
That sore her payn'd, by any to be drest.
So leave we her in wretched thraldome bound,
And turne we back to Calidore, where we him found.

XXV.

Who when he backe returned from the wood,
And saw his shepheards cottage spoyled quight,
And his Love reft away; he wexed wood 3
And halfe enraged at that ruefull sight;
That even his hart, for very fell despight,
And his owne flesh he readie was to teare:

He chauft, he griev'd, he fretted, and he sigh't,

Albe, although.

2 Reliv'd, brought to life.

3 Wood, frantic.

XXIV. 9. Where we him found.] See the thirty-ninth stanza of the preceding canto.

And fared1 like a furious wyld beare,

Whose whelpes are stolne away, she being otherwhere.

XXVI.

Ne wight he found to whom he might complaine,
Ne wight he found of whom he might inquire;
That more increast the anguish of his paine:
He sought the woods, but no man could see there;
He sought the plaines, but could no tydings heare:
The woods did nought but ecchoes vaine rebound;
The playnes all waste and emptie did appeare;
Where wont the shepheards oft their pypes resound,
And feed an hundred flocks, there now not one he found.
XXVII.

At last, as there he romed up and downe,
He chaunst one comming towards him to spy,
That seem'd to be some sorie simple clowne,
With ragged weedes, and lockes upstaring hye,
As if he did from some late daunger fly,
And yet his feare did follow him behynd:
Who as he unto him approached nye,

He mote perceive, by signes which he did fynd,
That Coridon it was, the silly 3 shepheards hynd.*

XXVIII.

Tho, to him running fast, he did not stay
To greet him first, but askt Where were the rest,
Where Pastorell? - Who full of fresh dismay,
And gushing forth in teares, was so opprest,
That he no word could speake, but smit his brest,
And up to heaven his eyes fast-streming threw :
Whereat the Knight amaz'd, yet did not rest,

1 Fared, acted. 2 Weedes, dress. 3 Silly, simple.
4 Hynd, servant.
5 Tho, then.

But askt againe, What ment that rufull hew;

Where was his Pastorell? Where all the other crew?

XXIX.

"Ah! well away," sayd he, then sighing sore,

"That ever I did live this day to see,

This dismall day, and was not dead before,

Before I saw faire Pastorella dye!"
"Die! out alas!" then Calidore did cry,
"How could the Death dare ever her to quell!
But read1 thou, Shepheard, read1 what destiny
Or other dyrefull hap from heaven or hell

Hath wrought this wicked deed: doe feare away, and tell."

XXX.

Tho, when the Shepheard breathed had awhyle,

He thus began; "Where shall I then commence This wofull tale? or how those Brigants vyle With cruell rage and dreadfull violence Spoyld all our cots, and caried us from hence; Or how faire Pastorell should have bene sold To Marchants, but was sav'd with strong defence; Or how those Theeves, whilest one sought her to hold, Fell all at ods, and fought through fury fierce and bold.

XXXI.

"In that same conflet (woe is me!) befell This fatall chaunce, this dolefull accident,

Whose heavy tydings now I have to tell.

First all the captives, which they here had hent,3
Were by them slaine by generall consent;

Old Melibee and his good wife withall

These eyes saw die, and dearely did lament:

1 Read, explain.

2 Tho, then.

3 Hent, taken.

But, when the lot to Pastorell did fall,

Their Captaine long withstood, and did her death forstall.1

XXXII.

"But what could he gainst all them doe alone?

It could not boot; needs mote she die at last!
I onely scapt through great confusione

Of cryes and clamors, which amongst them past,
In dreadfull darknesse, dreadfully aghast,

That better were with them to have bene dead

Then here to see all desolate and wast,

Despoyled of those ioyes and iollyhead,3

Which with those gentle shepheards here I wont to lead."

XXXIII.

When Calidore these ruefull newes had raught,4
His heart quite deaded was with anguish great,

5

And all his wits with doole were nigh distraught,

That he his face, his head, his brest did beat,

And death itselfe unto himselfe did threat;
Oft cursing th' heavens, that so cruell were
To her, whose name he often did repeat;
And wishing oft, that he were present there
When she was slaine, or had bene to her succour nere.

XXXIV.

But after griefe awhile had had its course,
And spent itselfe in mourning, he at last
Began to mitigate his swelling sourse,
And in his mind with better reason cast
How he might save her life, if life did last ;
Or, if that dead, how he her death might wreake;

3 Iollyhead, state of jollity or happiness. 4 Raught, reached.

5 Doole, grief.

6
• Distraught, distracted.