The Poetical Works of Edmund Spenser

To which as he now was vppon the way,
He chaunst to meet a Dwarfe in hasty course;
Whom he requir'd his forward hast to stay,
Till he of tidings mote with him discourse.
Loth was the Dwarfe, yet did he stay perforse,
And gan of sundry newes his store to tell,
As to his memory they had recourse :
But chiefely of the fairest Florimell,

His name is hight Pollente, rightly so
For that he is so puissant and strong,
That with his powre he all doth ouergo,
And makes them subiect to his mighty wrong;
And some by sleight he eke doth vnderfong.
For on a Bridge he custometh to fight,
Which is but narrow, but exceeding long;
And in the same are many trap fals pight,

How she was found againe, and spousde to Through which the rider downe doth fall Marinell.

through ouersight.

As when a Dolphin and a Sele are met,

In the wide champian of the Ocean plaine: With cruell chaufe their courages they whet, The maysterdome of each by force to gaine, And dreadfull battaile twixt them dodarraine: They snuf, they snort, they bounce, they rage, they rore,

That all the sea disturbed with their traine, Doth frie with fome aboue the surges hore. Such was betwixt these two the troublesome vprore. 16

So Artegall at length him forst forsake

His horses backe, for dread of being drownd, And to his handy swimming him betake. Eftsoones him selfe he from his hold vnbownd, And then no ods at all in him he fownd: For Artegall in swimming skilfull was, And durst the depth of any water sownd. So ought each Knight, that vse of perill has, In swimming be expert through waters force to

pas.

Long they her sought, yet no where could they There they beheld a mighty Gyant stand finde her,

That sure they ween'd she was escapt away:
But Talus, that could like alimehound winde her,
And all things secrete wisely could bewray,
At length found out, whereas she hidden lay
Vnder an heape of gold. Thence he her drew
By the faire lockes, and fowly did array,
Withouten pitty of her goodly hew,
That Artegall him selfe her seemelesse plight
did rew.

Yet for no pitty would he change the course
Of Iustice, which in Talus hand did lye ;
Who rudely hayld her forth without remorse.
Still holding vp her suppliant hands on hye,
And kneeling at his feete submissiuely.
But he her suppliant hands, those hands of gold,
And eke her feete, those feete of siluer trye,
Which sought vnrighteousnesse,andiusticesold,
Chopt off, and nayld on high, that all might
them behold.

Vpon a rocke, and holding forth on hie
An huge great paire of ballance in his hand,
With which he boasted in his surquedrie,
That all the world he would weigh equallie,
If ought he had the same to counterpoys.
For want whereof he weighed vanity,
And fild his ballaunce full of idle toys:
Yet was admired much of fooles, women, and
boys.
31

He sayd that he would all the earth vptake,
And all the sea, deuided each from either:
So would he of the fire one ballaunce make,
And one of th'ayre, without or wind, or wether:
Then would he ballaunce heauen and hell to-
gether,

And all that did within them all containe;
Of allwhose weight, he would not misse a fether.
And looke what surplus did of each remaine,
He would to his owne part restore the same
againe.

Thou that presum st to weigh the world anew, And all things to an equall to restore,

In stead of right me seemes great wrong dost shew,

And far aboue thy forces pitch to sore For ere thou limit what is lesse or more In euery thing, thou oughtest first to know, What was the poyse of euery part of yore: And looke then how much it doth ouerflow, Or faile thereof, so much is more then iust to trow. 35

For at the first they all created were

In goodly measure, by their Makers might, And weighed out in ballaunces so nere, That not a dram was missing of their right, The earth was in the middle centre pight, In which it doth immoueable abide, Hemd in with waters like a wall in sight; And they with aire, that not a drop can slide : Al which the heauens containe, and in their courses guide. 36

Such heauenly iustice doth among them raine, That euery one doe know their certaine bound, In which they doe these many yeares remaine, And mongst them al no change hath yet beene found.

But if thou now shouldst weigh them new in pound,

We are not sure they would so long remaine: All change is perillous,and allchaunce vnsound. Therefore leaue off to weigh them all againe, Till we may be assur'd they shall their course retaine.

37 Thou foolishe Elfe (said then the Gyant wroth) Seest not, how badly all things present bee, And each estate quite out of order goth? The sea it selfe doest thou not plainely see Encroch vppon the land there vnder thee; And th'earth it selfe how daily its increast, By all that dying to it turned be?

Were it not good that wrong were then surceast,

And from the most, that some were giuen to the least? 38

Therefore I will throw downe these mountaines hie,

And make them leuell with the lowly plaine: These towring rocks, which reach vnto the skie, I will thrust downe into the deepest maine, And as they were, them equalize againe. Tyrants that make men subiect to their law, I will suppresse, that they no more may raine; And Lordings curbe, that commons ouer-aw; And all the wealth of rich men to the poore will draw.

Of things vnseene how canst thou deeme aright,
Then answered the righteous Artegall,
Sith thou misdeem'st so much of things in
sight?

What though the sea with waues continuall
Doe eate the earth, it is no more at all:
Ne is the earth the lesse, or loseth ought,
For whatsoeuer from one place doth fall,
Is with the tide vnto an other brought :
For there is nothing lost, that may be found, if
sought.
Likewise the earth is not augmented more,
By all that dying into it doe fade.

For of the earth they formed were of yore, How euer gay their blossome or their blade Doe flourish now, they into dust shall vade. What wrong then is it, if that when they die, They turne to that, whereof they first were

Which when he saw, he greatly grew in rage,
And almost would his balances haue broken:
But Artegall him fairely gan asswage,
And said; Be not vpon thy balance wroken :
For they doe nought but right or wrong be-
token;

But in the mind the doome of right must bee;
And so likewise of words, the which be spoken,
The eare must be the ballance, to decree
And iudge, whether with truth or falshood they
agree.
48

But set the truth and set the right aside,
For they with wrong or falshood will not fare;
And put two wrongs together to be tride,
Or else two falses, of each equall share;
And then together doe them both compare.
For truth is one, and right is euer one.
So did he, and then plaine it did appeare,
Whether of them the greater were attone.
But right sate in the middest of the beame

alone.

Wroth wext he then, and sayd, that words were Like as a ship, whom cruell tempest driues light,

Ne would within his ballaunce well abide.
But he could iustly weigh the wrong or right.
Well then, sayd Artegall, let it be tride.
First in one ballance set the true aside.
He did so first; and then the false he layd
In th❜other scale; but still it downe did slide,
And by no meane could in the weight be stayd.
For by no meanes the false will with the truth be
wayd.

Now take the right likewise, sayd Artegale,
And counterpeise the same with so much wrong.
So first the right he put into one scale;
And then the Gyantstroue with puissancestrong
To fill the other scale with so much wrong.
But all the wrongs that he therein could lay,
Might not it peise; yet did he labour long,
And swat, and chauf'd, and proued euery way:
Yet all the wrongs could not a little right
downe way.

Vpon a rocke with horrible dismay,
Her shattered ribs in thousand peeces riues,
And spoyling all her geares and goodly ray,
Does make her selfe misfortunes piteous pray.
So downe the cliffe the wretched Gyant
tumbled;

His battred ballances in peeces lay,

His timbered bones all broken rudely rumbled, So was the high aspyring with huge ruine humbled.

That when the people, which had there about
Long wayted, saw his sudden desolation,
They gan to gather in tumultuous rout,
And mutining, to stirre vp ciuill faction,
For certaine losse of so great expectation.
For well they hoped to haue got great good,
And wondrous riches by his innouation.
Therefore resoluing to reuenge his blood,
They rose in armes, and allin battellorderstood.

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