CANTO VI.

The Hermite heales both Squire and Dame

Of their sore maladies;

He Turpine doth defeate and shame

For his late villanies.

I.

No wound, which warlike hand of enemy
Inflicts with dint of sword, so sore doth light
As doth the poysnous sting, which infamy
Infixeth in the name of noble wight:

For, by no art nor any leaches might,

It ever can recured be againe;

Ne all the skill, which that immortall spright

Of Podalyrius did in it retaine,

Can remedy such hurts; such hurts are hellish paine.

II.

Such were the wounds the which that Blatant Beast
Made in the bodies of that Squire and Dame;
And, being such, were now much more increast
For want of taking heede unto the same,
That now corrupt and curelesse' they became:
Howbe that carefull Hermite did his best,

1 Curelesse, hard to be cured.

Arg. 3. He, &c.] Meaning Prince Arthur.

1. 8. Of Podalyrius.] He was the son of Esculapius, and a celebrated physician.

II. 6. Carefull Hermite, &c.] In this account of Timias and

With many kindes of medicines meete, to tame The poysnous humour which did most infest Their ranckling wounds, and every day them duely drest.

III.

For he right well in leaches craft was seene1;
And, through the long experience of his dayes,
Which had in many fortunes tossed beene
And past through many perillous assayes,
He knew the diverse went 2 of mortall wayes,
And in the mindes of men had great insight;
Which with sage counsell, when they went astray,
He could enforme,3 and them reduce aright;

And all the passions heale, which wound the weaker spright.

IV.

For whylome he had bene a doughty Knight,
As any one that lived in his daies,

And proved oft in many perillous fight,

In which he grace and glory wonne alwaies,
And in all battels bore away the baies 5:
But being now attacht with timely age,
And weary of this worlds unquiet waies,
He tooke himselfe unto this Hermitage,

In which he liv'd alone, like carelesse bird in cage.

V.

One day, as he was searching of their wounds,

1 Seene, skilled.
2 Went, direction.
3 Enforme,
fashion.

Whylome, formerly.

5 Baies, bays, laurels.
Attacht, attacked, seized.

Serena's going to the hermit's cell to be cured of the wounds they had received from the Blatant Beast, or Detraction, Upton discovers an allusion to the temporary retirement from court of Sir W. Raleigh and Lady Elizabeth Throgmorton, to escape from the shame which they had brought upon themselves by their misconduct.

He found that they had festred privily;
And, ranckling inward with unruly stounds,1
The inner parts now gan to putrify,
That quite they seem'd past helpe of surgery;
And rather needed to be disciplinde

With holesome reede 2 of sad sobriety,

To rule the stubborne rage of passion blinde: Give salves to every sore, but counsell to the minde.

VI.

So, taking them apart into his cell,

He to that point fit speaches gan to frame,

As he the art of words knew wondrous well,

And eke could doe as well as say the same:
And thus he to them sayd; "Faire Daughter Dame,
And you, faire Sonne, which here thus long now lie
In piteous languor since ye hither came ;

In vaine of me ye hope for remedie,

And I likewise in vaine doe salves to you applie:

VII.

"For in yourselfe your onely helpe doth lie
To heale yourselves, and must proceed alone
From your owne will to cure your maladie.
Who can him cure that will be cur'd of none?
If therefore health ye seeke, observe this one:
First learne your outward senses to refraine
From things that stirre up frayle affection 3;

Your eies, your eares, your tongue, your talk restraine
From that they most affect, and in due termes containe.*

VIII.

"For from those outward sences, ill affected,

1 Stounds, pains.
2 Reede, advice.

3 Affection, passion.
4 Containe, govern,

restrain.

The seede of all this evill first doth spring,
Which at the first, before it had infected,
Mote easie be supprest with little thing:
But, being growen strong, it forth doth bring
Sorrow, and anguish, and impatient paine,
In th' inner parts; and lastly, scattering
Contagious poyson close1 through every vaine,
It never rests till it have wrought his finall bane.

IX.

"For that Beastes teeth, which wounded you tofore, Are so exceeding venomous and keene,

Made all of rusty yron ranckling sore,

That, where they bite, it booteth not to weene
With salve, or antidote, or other mene,3

It ever to amend: ne marvaile ought;

For that same Beast was bred of hellish strene,1 And long in darksome Stygian den upbrought, Begot of foule Echidna, as in bookes is taught.

X.
"Echidna is a Monster, direfull dred,

Whom gods doe hate, and heavens abhor to see;
So hideous is her shape, so huge her hed,
That even the hellish fiends affrighted bee
At sight thereof, and from her presence flee:
Yet did her face and former parts professe 5
A faire young Mayden, full of comely glee;
But all her hinder parts did plaine expresse
A monstrous Dragon, full of fearefull uglinesse.

XI.

"To her the gods, for her so dreadfull face,

1 Close, secretly. Strene, strain, race.

VOL. IV.

9

2 Tofore, before.

3 Mene, means.

5 Professe, present the appearance of.

In fearefull darknesse, furthest from the skie
And from the earth, appointed have her place
Mongst rocks and caves, where she enrold doth lie
In hideous horrour and obscurity,

Wasting the strength of her immortall age:

There did Typhaon with her company;

Cruell Typhaon, whose tempestuous rage

Makes th' heavens tremble oft, and him with vowes asswage.

XII.

"Of that commixtion they did then beget

This hellish dog, that hight' the Blatant Beast;

A wicked Monster, that his tongue doth whet
Gainst all, both good and bad, both most 2 and least,
And pours his poysnous gall forth to infest

The noblest wights with notable defame 3:

Ne ever Knight that bore so lofty creast,
Ne ever Lady of so honest name,

But he them spotted with reproch, or secrete shame.

XIII.

1 Hight, is called

"In vaine therefore it were with medicine
Το
goe about to salve such kind of sore,
That rather needes wise read and discipline

Then 5 outward salves that may augment it more."

66

'Aye me!" sayd then Serena, sighing sore,
"What hope of helpe doth then for us remaine,
If that no salves may us to health restore!"

6

"But sith we need good counsell," sayd the Swaine, "Aread, good Sire, some counsell that may us sustaine."

XIV.

"The best," sayd he, "that I can you advize,

2 Most, greatest.
Read, advice.
• Sith, since.

3 Defame, disgrace.

5 Then, than.

7 Aread, explain.