THE LEGEND OF SIR GUYON, OR OF TEMPERANCE.
RIGHT well I wote,1 most mighty Soveraine,
That all this famous antique history
Of some th' abundance of an idle brain
Will judged be, and painted forgery,
Rather than matter of just memory;
Sith2 none that breatheth living air doth know
Where is that happy land of Faëry,
Which I so much do vaunt, yet no where show; But vouch antiquities, which no body can know.
But let that man with better sense advizes
That of the world least part to us is red;4
And daily how through hardy enterprize
Many great regions are discoveréd,
Which to late age were never mentionéd.
Who ever heard of th' Indian Peru?
Or who in vent 'rous vessel measuréd
The Amazon huge river, now found true?
Or fruitfullest Virginia who did ever view?
3 Bear in
mind.
• Made
known.
4 Ne wote, knows not.
• Queen Elizabeth.
Yet all these were, when no man did them know,
Yet have from wisest ages hidden been;
And later times things more unknown shall show.
Why then should witless man so much misween,1
That nothing is, but that which he hath seen?
What, if within the moon's fair shining sphere,
What, if in every other star unseen
Of other worlds he happily2 should hear?
He wonder would much more; yet such to some
Of Faery land yet if he more inquire,
By certain signs, here set in sundry place,
He may it find; ne let him then admire,
But yield his sense to be too blunt and base,
That no'te without an hound fine footing trace.
And thou, O fairest Princess5 under sky,
In this fair mirror mayst behold thy face,
And thine own realms in land of Faëry,
And in this antique image thy great ancestry.
The which, oh! pardon me thus to enfold
In covert veil, and wrapt in shadows light,
That feeble eyes your glory may behold,
Which else could not endure those beamës bright,
But would be dazzled with exceeding light.
Oh! pardon, and vouchsafe with patient ear
The brave adventures of this Faery Knight,
The good Sir Guyon, graciously to hear;
In whom great rule of Temp'rance goodly doth
appear.
Guyon, by Archimage abus'd,
The Redcross Knight awaits;
Finds Mordant and Amavia slain
With Pleasure's poison'd baits.
THAT cunning architect of canker'd guile,
Whom prince's late displeasure left in bands,
For falséd letters, and subornéd wile;
Soon as the Redcross Knight he understands
To been departed out of Eden lands,
To serve again his sov'raine Elfin Queen:
His arts he moves, and out of caytives' hands 1
Himself he frees by secret means unseen;
His shackles empty left, himself escaped clean;
And forth he fares, full of malicious mind,
To worken mischief, and avenging woe,
Wherever he that godly Knight may find,
His only heart-sore and his only foe;
Sith 2 Una now he algates must forego,
Whom his victorious hands did erst restore
To native crown and kingdom late ygoe;5 Where she enjoys sure peace for evermore, As weatherbeaten ship arrivéd on happy shore.
Him therefore now the object of his spite
And deadly feud he makes: him to offend
By forgéd treason, or by open fight,
He seeks, of all his drift the aiméd end:
Thereto his subtle engines he does bend,
His practic wit and his fair filéd tongue,
With thousand other sleights; for well he kend1
His credit now in doubtful balance hung:
For hardly could be hurt,2 who was already stung.
Still, as he went, he crafty stales3 did lay,
With cunning trains him to entrap unwares,
And privy spials5 placéd in all his way,
To weet what course he takes, and how he
fares,
To catch him at a'vantage in his snares;
But now so wise and wary was the Knight,
By trial of his former harms and cares,
That he descried, and shunnéd still, his slight:
The fish, that once was caught, new bait will hardly bite.
Nath'less th' enchanter would not spare his pain,
In hope to win occasion to his will;
Which when he long awaited had in vain,
He chang'd his mind from one to other ill:
For to all good he enemy was still.
Upon the way him fortunéd to meet,
Fair marching underneath a shady hill,
A goodly knight, all arm'd in harness meet,
That from his head no place appeared to his feet.
His carriage was full comely and upright;
His countenance demure and temperate;
But yet so stern and terrible in sight,
That cheer'd his friends, and did his foes amate:7
He was an Elfin born, of noble state
And mickle worship in his native land;
Well could he tourney, and in lists debate,
And knighthood took of good Sir Huon's1 hand, When with king Oberon he came to Faery land.
Him als2 accompanied upon the way
A comely palmer,3 clad in black attire,
Of ripest years, and hairs all hoary gray,
That with a staff his feeble steps did stire,4
Lest his long way his aged limbs should tire:
And, if by looks one may the mind aread,5
He seem'd to be a sage and sober sire;
And ever with slow pace the Knight did lead, Who taught his trampling steed with equal steps to tread.
Such whenas Archimago them did view,
He weenéd well to work some úncouth wile:
Eftsoons,7 untwisting his deceitful clew,
He
gan to weave a web of wicked guile;
And, with fair countenance and flatt'ring style
To them approaching, thus the Knight bespake;
'Fair son of Mars, that seek with warlike spoil,
And great achievements, great yourself to make,
Vouchsafe to stay your steed for humble miser's 8
sake.'
He stay❜d his steed for humble miser's sake,
And bade tell on the tenor of his plaint:
Who feigning then in every limb to quake
Through inward fear, and seeming pale and
faint,
With piteous moan his piercing speech gan
paint;
'Dear lady! how shall I declare thy case, Whom late I left in languorous constraint?
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