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Ye dreary instruments of dolefull sight,
That doe this deadly spectacle behold,
Why do ye lenger feed on loathed light,
Or liking find to gaze on earthly mould,
Sith cruell fates the carefull threeds vnfould,
The which my life and loue together tyde
Now let the stony dart of senselesse cold
Perce to my hart, and pas through euery side,
And let eternall night so sad sight fro me hide.
23

O lightsome day, the lampe of highest Ioue, First made by him, mens wandring wayes to guyde,

When darknesse he in deepest dongeon droue,
Henceforth thy hated face for euer hyde,
And shut vp heauens windowes shyning wyde:
For earthly sight can nought but sorrow breed,
And late repentance, which shall long abyde.
Mine eyes no more on vanitie shall feed,
But seeled vp with death, shall haue their deadly
meed.

24

Then downe againe she fell vnto the ground;
But he her quickly reared vp againe :
Thrise did she sinkeadowne in deadly swownd,
And thrise he her reviu'd with busie paine :
At last when life recouer'd had the raine,
And ouer-wrestled his strong enemie,
With foltring tong, and trembling euery vaine,
Tell on (quoth she) the wofull Tragedie,
The which these reliques sad present vnto mine
eie.

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30

And in the midst thereof one pretious stone
Of wondrous worth, and eke of wondrous
mights,

Shapt like a Ladies head, exceeding shone,
Like Hesperus emongst the lesser lights,
And stroue for to amaze the weaker sights;
Thereby his mortall blade full comely hong
In yuory sheath, ycaru'd with curious slights;
Whose hilts were burnisht gold, and handle
strong

Of mother pearle, and buckled with a golden
tong.
31

His haughtie helmet, horrid all with gold, Both glorious brightnesse, and great terrour bred;

For all the crest a Dragon did enfold
With greedie pawes, and ouer all did spred
His golden wings: his dreadfull hideous hed
Close couched on the beuer, seem'd to throw
From flaming mouth bright sparkles fierie red,
That suddeine horror to faint harts did show;
And scaly tayle was stretcht adowne his backe
full low.
32

Vpon the top of all his loftie crest,
A bunch of haires discolourd diuersly,
With sprincled pearle, and gold full richly drest,
Did shake, and seem'd to daunce for iollity,
Like to an Almond tree ymounted hye
On top of greene Selinis all alone,
With blossomes braue bedecked daintily;
Whose tender locks do tremble euery one
At euery little breath, that vnder heauen is
blowne.

33

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A gentle youth, his dearely loued Squire

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O but (quoth she) great griefe will not be tould,
And can more easily be thought, then said.
Right so; (quoth he) but he, that neuer would,
Could neuer will to might giues greatest aid.
But griefe (quoth she) does greater grow displaid,
If then it find not helpe, and breedes despaire.
Despaire breedes not (quoth he) where faith is
staid.

No faith so fast (quoth she)but flesh does paire. Flesh may empaire (quoth he) but reason can repaire.

42

His goodly reason, and well guided speach
So deepe did settle in her gratious thought,
That her perswaded to disclose the breach,
Which loue and fortune in her heart had
wrought,
[brought

His speare of heben wood behind him bare,
Whose harmefull head, thrice heated in the fire,
Had riuen many a brest with pikehead square;
A goodly person, and could menage faire
His stubborne steed with curbed canon bit,
Who vnder him did trample as the aire,
And chauft, that any on his backe should sit ; Then heare the storie sad, which I shall tell you
The yron rowels into frothy fome he bit.

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And said; Faire Sir, I hope good hap hath
You to inquire the secrets of my griefe,
Or that your wisedome will direct my thought,
Or that your prowesse can me yield reliefe:

briefe.

43

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45 Full many knights aduenturous and stout Haue enterprizd that Monster to subdew ; From euery coast that heauen walks about, Haue thither come the noble Martiall crew, That famous hard atchieuements still pursew, Yet neuer any could that girlond win, But all still shronke, and still he greater grew: All they for want of faith, or guilt of sin, The pitteous pray of his fierce crueltie haue bin. 46

At last yledd with farre reported praise, Which flying fame throughout the world had spred,

Of doughtie knights, whom Faery land did raise, That noble order hight of Maidenhed, Forthwith to court of Gloriane I sped, Of Gloriane great Queene of glory bright, Whose kingdomes seat Cleopolis is red, There to obtaine some such redoubted knight, That Parents deare from tyrants powre deliuer might.

47

It was my chance (my chance was faire and good)
There for to find a fresh vnproued knight,
Whose manly hands imbrew'd in guiltie blood
Had neuer bene, ne euer by his might
Had throwne to ground the vnregarded right:
Yet of his prowesse proofe he since hath made
(I witnesse am) in many a cruell fight;
The groning ghosts of many one dismaide
Haue felt the bitter dint of his auenging blade.
48

And ye the forlorne reliques of his powre,

His byting sword, and his deuouring speare, Which haue endured many a dreadfull stowre, Can speake his prowesse, that did earst you beare,

And well could rule: now he hath left you heare, To be the record of his ruefull losse, And of my dolefull disauenturous deare: O heauie record of the good Redcrosse, Where haue you left your Lord, that could so well you tosse?

49

Well hoped I, and faire beginnings had,
That he my captiue langour should redeeme,
Till all vnweeting, an Enchaunter bad
His sence abusd, and made him to misdeeme
My loyalty, not such as it did seeme;
That rather death desire, then such despight.
Be iudge ye heauens, that all things right
esteeme,

How I him lou'd, and loue with all my might, So thought I eke of him, and thinke I thought aright.

50

Thenceforth me desolate he quite forsooke,
To wander, where wilde fortune would me lead,
And other bywaies he himselfe betooke,
Where neuer foot of liuing wight did tread,
That brought not backe the balefull body dead;
In which him chaunced false Duessa meete,
Mine onely foe, mine onely deadly dread,
Who with her witchcraft and misseeming sweete,
Inueigled him to follow her desires vnmeete.
51

At last by subtill sleights she him betraid
Vnto his foe, a Gyant huge and tall,
Who him disarmed, dissolute, dismaid,
Vnwares surprised, and with mightie mall
The monster mercilesse him made to fall,
Whose fall did neuer foe before behold;
And now in darkesome dungeon, wretched
thrall,

Remedilesse, for aie he doth him hold; This is my cause of griefe, more great, then may be told.

52

Ere she had ended all, she gan to faint:
But he her comforted and faire bespake,
Certes, Madame, ye haue great cause of plaint,
That stoutest heart, I weene, could cause to
quake.

But be of cheare, and comfort to you take : For till I haue acquit your captiue knight, Assure your selfe, I will you not forsake. His chearefull words reuiu'd her chearelesse spright, [euer right. So forth they went, the Dwarfe them guiding

Cant. VIII.

Faire virgin to redeeme her deare brings Arthur to the fight: Who slayes the Gyant, wounds the beast, and strips Duessa quight.

I

Ay me, how many perils doe enfold

The righteous man, to make him daily fall?
Were not, that heauenly grace doth him vphold,
And stedfast truth acquite him out of all.
Her loue is firme, her care continuall,
So oft as he through his owne foolish pride,
Or weaknesse is to sinfull bands made thrall:
Else should this Redcrosse knight in bands
haue dyde,
[thither guide.

For whose deliuerance she this Prince doth

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7

Therewith the Gyant buckled him to fight,
Inflam'd with scornefull wrath and high disdaine,
And lifting vp his dreadfull club on hight,
Allarm'd with ragged snubbes and knottie graine,
Him thought at first encounter to haue slaine.
But wise and warie was that noble Pere,
And lightly leaping from so monstrous maine,
Did faire auoide the violence him nere ;
It booted nought, to thinke, such thunderbolts
to beare.
8

Ne shame he thought to shunne so hideous might:

Missing the marke of his misaymed sight The idle stroke, enforcing furious way, Did fall to ground, and with his heauie sway So deepely dinted in the driuen clay, That three yardes deepe a furrow vp did throw : The sad earth wounded with so sore assay, Did grone full grieuous vnderneath the blow, And trembling with strange feare, did like an earthquake show.

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