Or all Gods workes which doe this worlde O! how great wonder would your thoughts

'Fayre Sir,' (sayd he) if in that picture dead!
Such life ye read, and vertue in vaine shew;
What mote ye weene, if the trew lively-head
Of that most glorious visage ye did vew :
But yf the beauty of her mind ye knew,
That is, her bounty, and imperiall powre,

VI

Said Guyon,Noble Lord, what meed so
Or grace of earthly Prince so soveraine, [great,
But by your wondrous worth and warlike feat
Ye well may hope, and easely attaine?
But were your will her sold to entertaine,

They found the gates fast barred long ere night, And every loup fast lockt, as fearing foes despight.

XI

Which when they saw, they weened fowle reproch

And numbred be mongst knights of Mayden-Was to them doen, their entraunce to forestall,

'Certes,' (then said the Prince) I God avow, That sith I armes and knighthood first did plight,

My whole desire hath beene, and yet is now,
To serve that Queene with al my powre and

might.

Till that the Squire gan nigher to approch,
And wind his horne under the castle wall,
That with the noise it shooke as it would fall.
Eftsoones forth looked from the highest spire
The watch, and lowd unto the knights did caн,
To weete what they so rudely did require ?..
Who gently answered, They entraunce did
desire.

t

away,

XII

Fly fly, good knights,' (said he)‘fly fast [light, If that your lives ye love, as meete ye should ; Seven times the Sunne, with his lamp-burning Fly fast, and save your selves from neare deHath walkte about the world, and I no lesse, [would: Sith of that Goddesse I have sought the sight, Here may ye not have entraunce, though we Yet no where can her find: such happinesse We would, and would againe, if that we Heven doth to me envy, and fortune favour-But thousand enemies about us rave, [could;

lesse.'

cay;

And evermore their cruell Capitaine [rownd,
Sought with his raskall routs t'enclose them
And, overronne, to tread them to the grownd:
But soone the knights with their bright burn-
ing blades
[fownd,
Broke their rude troupes, and orders did con-
Hewing and slashing at their idle shades;
For though they bodies seem, yet substaunce
from them fades.

XVI

XX

Goodly shee entertaind those noble knights,
And brought them up into her castle hall;
Where gentle court and gracious delight
Shee to them made, with mildnesse virginall,
Shewing her selfe both wise and liberall.
Then, when they rested had a season dew,
They her besought of favour speciall
Of that faire Castle to affoord them vew:
Shee graunted; and, them leading forth, the
same did shew.

XXI

As when a swarme of Gnats at eventide
Out of the fennes of Allan doe arise, [wide,
Their murmuring small trompetts sownden First she them led up to the Castle wall,
Whiles in the aire their clustring army flies, That was so high as foe might not it clime,
That as a cloud doth seeme to dim the skies; Not built of bricke, ne yet of stone and lime,
And all so faire and fensible withall;
Ne man nor beast may rest, or take repast
For their sharpe wounds and noyous injuries, Whereof king Nine whilome built Babell towre.
But of thing like to that Egyptian slime,
Till the fierce Northerne wind with blustring But O great pitty! that no lenger time
Doth blow them quite away, and in the Ocean So goodly workemanship should not endure:
Soone it must turne to earth; no earthly thing
is sure.

blast

XVII

[cast.

Thus when they had that troublous rout
disperst,

Unto the castle gate they come againe,
And entraunce crav'd which was denied erst.
Now when report of that their perlous paine,
And combrous conflict which they did sustaine,
Came to the Ladies care which there did dwell,
Shee forth issewed with a goodly traine
Of Squires and Ladies equipaged well,
And entertained them right fairely, as befell.

XVIH

Alma she called was; a virgin bright, '
That had not yet felt Cupides wanton rage;
Yet was shee woo'd of many a gentle knight,
And many a Lord of noble parentage,
That sought with her to lincke in marriage:
For shee was faire as faire mote ever bee,
And in the flowre now of her freshest age;
Yet full of grace and goodly modestee, [sec.
That even heven rejoyced her sweete face to

XIX

In robe of lilly white she was arayd, That from her shoulder to her heele downe raught;

XXII

The frame thereof seemd partly circulare,
And part triangulare; O worke divine!
Those two the first and last proportions are;
The one imperfect, mortall, fœminine,
Th' other immortall, perfect, masculine;
And twixt them both a quadrate was the base
Proportiond equally by seven and nine;
Nine was the circle sett in heavens place:
All which compacted made a goodly Diapase.

XXIII

Therein two gates were placed seemly well.
The one before, by which all in did pas,
Did th' other far in workmanship excell;
For not of wood, nor of enduring bras,
But of more worthy substance fram'd it was:
Doubly disparted, it did locke and close,
That when it locked none might thorough pas,
And when it opened, no man might it close;
Still open to their friendes, and closed to their
foes.

XXIV

Of hewen stone the porch was fayrely wrought, Stone more of valew, and more smooth and fine,

The traine whereof loose far behind her strayd, Then Jett or Marble far from Ireland brought;
Braunched with gold and perle most richly Over the which was cast a wandring vine,
Enchaced with a wanton yvie twine;
And over it a fayre Portcullis hong,
Which to the gate directly did incline
With comely compasse and compacture strong,
Nether unseemly short, nor yet exceeding
long.

wrought, [ taught And borne of two faire Damsels which were That service well. Her yellow golden heare Was trimly woven and in tresses wrought, Ne other tire she on her head did weare, But crowned with a garland of sweete Rosiere.

XXXV

Diverse delights they fownd them selves to please;

What wight she was that Poplar braunch did hold ?

[joy; It answered was, her name was Prays-desire, Some song in sweet consort; some laught for That by well doing sought to honour to aspyre. Some plaid with strawes; some ydly satt at ease; But other some could not abide to toy; All pleasaunce was to them griefe and annoy: This fround, that faund, the third for shame did blush,

Another seemed envious or coy,
Another in her teeth did gnaw a rush;
But at these straungers presence every one
did hush.

XL

The whyles the Faery knight did entertayne
Another Damsell of that gentle crew,
That was right fayre and modest of demayne,
But that too oft she chaung'd her native hew.
Straunge was her tyre, and all her garment
blew,

Close rownd about her tuckt with many a plight:
Upon her fist the bird, which shonneth vew,
And keepes in coverts close from living wight,
Did sitt, as yet ashamd how rude Pan did her
dight.

XLI

So long as Guyon with her commoned,
Unto the grownd she cast her modest eye,
The bashfull blood her snowy cheekes did dye,
And ever and anone with rosy red
That her became, as polisht yvory
Which cunning Craftesman hand hath overlayd
With fayre vermilion or pure Castory.
Great wonder had the knight to see the mayd
So straungely passioned, and to her gently
said:

XLII

'Fayre Damzell, seemeth by your troubled
cheare,

That either me too bold ye weene, this wise
You to molest, or other ill to feare
From whence it doth, as cloud from sea, aryse.
That in the secret of your hart close lyes,
If it be I, of pardon I you pray;

But if ought else that I mote not devyse,
I will, if please you it discure, assay
To ease you of that ill, so wisely as I may.'

XLIII

Held downe her head, the whiles her lovely face
She answerd nought, but more abashit for shame
The flashing blood with blushing did inflame,
And the strong passion mard her modest grace,
Till Alma him bespake: 'Why wonder yee,
That Guyon mervayld at her uncouth cace;
Faire Sir, at that which ye so much embrace?
She is the fountaine of your modestee:
You shamefast are, but Shamefastnes it selfe
is shee.'

XLIV

Thereat the Elfe did blush in privitee,
And turnd his face away, but she the same
Dissembled faire, and faynd to oversee.
Thus they awhile with court and goodly game

K