28

He thereto meeting said, My dearest Dame, Farre be it from your thought, and fro my will, To thinke that knighthood I so much should shame,

As you to leaue, that haue me loued still,
And chose in Faery court of meere goodwill,
Where noblest knights were to be found on earth:
The earth shall sooner leaue her kindly skill
To bring forth fruit, and make eternall derth,
Then I leaue you, my liefe, yborne of heauenly
berth.
29

And sooth to say, why I left you so long,
Was for to seeke aduenture in strange place,
Where Archimago said a felon strong
To many knights did daily worke disgrace;
But knight he now shall neuer more deface:
Good cause of mine excuse; that mote ye please
Well to accept, and euermore embrace

My faithfull seruice, that by land and seas Haue vowd you to defend, now then your plaint 30

appease.

His louely words her seemd due recompence
Of all her passed paines: one louing howre
For many yeares of sorrow can dispence:
A dram of sweet is worth a pound of sowre:
She has forgot, how many a wofull stowre
For him she late endur'd; she speakes no more
Of past: true is, that true loue hath no powre
To looken backe; his eyes be fixt before.
Before her stands her knight, for whom she
toyld so sore.

31

Much like, as when the beaten marinere,
That long hath wandred in the Ocean wide,
Oft soust in swelling Tethys saltish teare,
And long time hauing tand his tawney hide
With blustring breath of heauen, that none
can bide,

And scorching flames of fierce Orions hound, Soone as the port from farre he has espide, His chearefull whistle merrily doth sound, And Nereus crownes with cups; his mates him pledg around.

32

Such ioy made Vna, when her knight she found; And eke th'enchaunter ioyous seemd no lesse, Then the glad marchant, that does vew from ground

His ship farre come from watrie wildernesse, He hurles out vowes, and Neptune oft doth blesse :

So forth they past, and all the way they spent
Discoursing of her dreadfull late distresse,
In which he askt her, what the Lyon ment:
†Who told her all that fell in iourney as she went.

33

They had not ridden farre, when they might see One pricking towards them with hastie heat, Full strongly armd, and on a courser free, That through his fiercenesse fomed all with sweat,

And the sharpe yron did for anger eat, When his hot ryder spurd his chauffed side; His looke was sterne, and seemed still to threat Cruell reuenge, which he in hart did hyde, And on his shield Sans loy in bloudie lines was dyde. 34

When nigh he drew vnto this gentle payre And saw the Red-crosse, which the knight did beare,

He burnt in fire, and gan eftsoones prepare Himselfe to battell with his couched speare. Loth was that other, and did faint through feare, To taste th'vntryed dint of deadly steele ; But yet his Lady did so well him cheare,

| That hope of new good hap he gan to feele; So bent his speare, and spurnd his horse with yron heele.

35

With loftie eyes, halfe loth to looke so low,
She thanked them in her disdainefull wise,
Ne other grace vouchsafed them to show
Of Princesse worthy, scarse them bad arise.
Her Lordes and Ladies all this while deuise
Themselues to setten forth to straungers sight:
Some frounce their curled haire in courtly guise,
Some prancke their ruffes, and others trimly
dight

Their gay attire: each others greater pride does
spight.
15

Goodly they all that knight do entertaine,
Right glad with him to haue increast their crew:
But to Duess' each one himselfe did paine
All kindnesse and faire courtesie to shew ;
For in that court whylome her well they knew:
Yet the stout Faerie mongst the middest crowd
Thought all their glorie vaine in knightly vew,
And that great Princesse too exceeding prowd,
That to strange knight no better countenance
allowd.
16

Suddein vpriseth from her stately place
The royall Dame, and for her coche doth call:
All hurtlen forth, and she with Princely pace,
As faire Aurora in her purple pall,

Out of the East the dawning day doth call: So forth she comes: her brightnesse brode doth blaze;

The heapes of people thronging in the hall, Do ride each other, vpon her to gaze: Her glorious glitterand light doth all mens eyes

18

But this was drawne of six vnequall beasts,
On which her six sage Counsellours did ryde,
Taught to obay their bestiall beheasts,
With like conditions to their kinds applyde:
Of which the first, that all the rest did guyde,
Was sluggish Idlenesse the nourse of sin;
Vpon a slouthfull Asse he chose to ryde,
Arayd in habit blacke, and amis thin,
Like to an holy Monck, the seruice to begin.
19

And in his hand his Portesse still he bare,
That much was worne, but therein little red,
For of deuotion he had little care,
Still drownd in sleepe, and most of his dayes
ded;

Scarse could he once vphold his heauie hed, To looken, whether it were night or day: May seeme the wayne was very euill led, When such an one had guiding of the way, That knew not, whether right he went, or else astray.

20

From worldly cares himselfe he did esloyne,
And greatly shunned manly exercise,
From euery worke he chalenged essoyne,
For contemplation sake: yet otherwise,
His life he led in lawlesse riotise;
By which he grew to grieuous malady ;
For in his lustlesse limbs through euill guise
A shaking feuer raignd continually :
Such one was Idlenesse, first of this company.

21

And by his side rode loathsome Gluttony,
Deformed creature, on a filthie swyne,
His belly was vp-blowne with luxury,
And eke with fatnesse swollen were his eyne,
And like a Crane his necke was long and fyne,
With which he swallowd vp excessiue feast,
For want whereof poore people oft did pyne;
And all the way, most like a brutish beast,
He spued vp his gorge, that all did him deteast.

22

In greene vine leaues he was right fitly clad ;
For other clothes he could not weare for heat,
And on his head an yuie girland had,
From vnder which fast trickled downe the
sweat:

Still as he rode, he somewhat still did eat,
And in his hand did beare a bouzing can,
Of which he supt so oft, that on his seat
His dronken corse he scarse vpholden can,
In shape and life more like a monster, then a

man.