'How may it be,' sayd then the knight halfe wroth, shent? "That knight should knighthood ever so have 'None but that saw,' (quoth he) 'would weene for troth,
How shamefully that Mayd he did torment:
Her looser golden lockes he rudely rent, [sword
And drew her on the ground; and his sharpe
Against her snowy brest he fiercely bent,
And threatned death with many a bloodie
word:
[abhord.'
Tounge hates to tell the rest that eye to see
The knight, approching nigh, thus to her said:
Fayre Lady, through fowle sorrow ill bedight, Great pitty is to see you thus dismayd, And marre the blossom of your beauty bright: For-thy appease your griefe and heavy plight, And tell the cause of your conceived payne; For, if he live that hath you doen despight, He shall you doe dew recompence agayne, Or els his wrong with greater puissance maintaine.'
She wilfully her sorrow did augment,
Which when she heard, as in despight full wise
And offred hope of comfort did despise:
Her golden lockes most cruelly she rent,
And scratcht her face with ghastly dreriment;
Ne would she speake, ne see, ne yet be seene,
But hid her visage, and her head downe bent,
Either for grievous shame, or for great teene,
As if her hart with sorrow had transfixed
beene:
'But now, fayre Lady, comfort to you make, And read who hath ye wrought this shamefull plight,
For all he did was to deceive good knights, And draw them from pursuit of praise and fame
That short revenge the man may overtake, To slug in slouth and sensuall delights,
Where-so he be, and soone upon him light.' And end their daies with irrenowmed shame.
'Certes,' (saide she) 'I wote not how he hight, And now exceeding griefe him overcame,
But under him a gray steede he did wield, To see the Redcrosse thus advaunced hye;
Whose sides with dapled circles weren dight; Therefore this craftie engine he did frame,
Upright he rode, and in his silver shield [ field.' Against his praise to stirre up enmitye
He bore a bloodie Crosse that quartred all the Of such, as vertues like mote unto him allye.
'Now by my head,' (saide Guyon) 'much I So now he Guyon guydes an uncouth way Through woods and mountaines, till they came
[amis,
How that same knight should doe so fowle
Or ever gentle Damzell so abuse:
For, may I boldly say, he surely is
A right good knight, and trew of word ywis:
I present was, and can it witnesse well; [pris
When armes he swore, and streight did enter-
Th' adventure of the Errant damozell;
In which he hath great glory wonne, as I
'Nathlesse he shortly shall againe be tryde,
And fairely quit him of th' imputed blame;
Els, be ye sure, he dearely shall abyde,
Or make you good amendment for the same:
All wrongs have mendes, but no amendes of
shame.
Now therefore, Lady, rise out of your paine,
And see the salving of your blotted name.'
Full loth she seemd thereto, but yet did faine,
For she was inly glad her purpose so to gaine.
Her purpose was not such as she did faine,
Ne yet her person such as it was seene;
But under simple shew, and semblant plaine,
Lurkt false Duessa secretly unseene,
As a chaste Virgin that had wronged beene:
So had false Archimago her disguysd,
To cloke her guile with sorrow and sad teene;
And eke himselfe had craftily devisd
To be her Squire, and do her service well
aguisd.
Her, late forlorne and naked, he had found
Where she did wander in waste wildernesse,
Lurking in rockes and caves far under ground,
And with greene mosse cov'ring her nakednesse
To hide her shame and loathly filthinesse,
Sith her Prince Arthur of proud ornaments
And borrowd beauty spoyld. Her nathelesse
Th' enchaunter finding fit for his intents
Did thus revest, and deckt with dew habili-
Into a pleasant dale that lowly lay
The valley did with coole shade overcast:
Betwixt two hils, whose high heads overplast
Through midst thereof a little river rold,
By which there sate a knight with helme
unlaste,
Himselfe refreshing with the liquid cold,
After his travell long and labours manifold.
'Lo! yonder he,' cryde Archimage alowd,
'That wrought the shamefull fact which I did
shew;
And now he doth himselfe in secret shrowd,
To fly the vengeaunce for his outrage dew:
But vaine; for ye shall dearely do him rew,
So God ye speed and send you good successe,
Which we far off will here abide to vew.'
So they him left inflam'd with wrathfulnesse,
That streight against that knight his speare
he did addresse.
Who, seeing him from far so fierce to pricke,
His warlike armes about him gan embrace,
And in the rest his ready speare did sticke:
Tho, when as still he saw him towards pace,
He gan rencounter him in equall race.
They bene ymett, both ready to affrap,
When suddeinly that warriour gan abace
His threatned spcare, as if some new mishap,
Had him betide, or hidden danger did entrap;
And cryde, 'Mercie, Sir knight ! and mercie,
Lord,
For mine offence and heedelesse hardiment,
That had almost committed crime abhord,
And with reprochfull shame mine honour
shent,
Whiles cursed steele against that badge I bent
So courteous conge both did give and take, With right hands plighted, pledges of good will.
Then Guyon forward gan his voyage make
With his blacke Palmer, that him guided still:
Still he him guided over dale and hill,
His race with reason, and with words his will,
From fowle intemperaunce he ofte did stay,
And suffred not in wrath his hasty steps to
stray.
"Certes,' (said he) 'well mote I shame to tell And with his steedy staffe did point his way;
The fond encheason that me hither led.
A false infamous faitour late befell
Me for to meet, that seemed ill bested,
And playnd of grievous outrage, which he red
A knight had wrought against a Ladie gent;
Which to avenge he to this place me led,
Where you he made the marke of his intent,
And now is fled: foule shame him follow wher
he went!'
By this his aged Guide in presence came;
Who, soone as on that knight his eye did
glaunce,
Eftsoones of him had perfect cognizaunce,
Sith him in Faery court he late avizd;
And sayd; 'Fayre sonne, God give you happy
chaunce,
In this faire wize they traveild long yfere,
Through many hard assayes which did betide;
Of which he honour still away did beare,
And spred his glory through all countryes wide.
At last, as chaunst them by a forest side
To passe, for succour from the scorching ray,
With percing shriekes and many a dolefull lay;
They heard a ruefull voice, that dearnly cride
Which to attend awhile their forward steps
they stay.
'But if that carelesse hevens,' (quoth she) despise
The doome of just revenge, and take delight To see sad pageaunts of mens miseries, And that deare Crosse uppon your shield devizd, As bownd by them to live in lives despight; Wherewith above all knights ye goodly seeme Yet can they not warne death from wretched
With that a deadly shrieke she forth did throw
That through the wood re-echoed againe ;
And after gave a grone so deepe and low
That seemd her tender heart was rent in twaine,
Or thrild with point of thorough-piercing
paine :
Out of her gored wound the cruell steel As gentle Hynd, whose sides with cruell steele He lightly snatcht, and did the floodgate stop Through launched, forth her bleeding life does With his faire garment; then gan softly feel raine, [feele, Her feeble pulse, to prove if any drop Whiles the sad pang approching shee does Of living blood yet in her veynes did hop: Braies out her latest breath, and up her eies Which when he felt to move, he hoped faire doth seele.
To call backe life to her forsaken shop.
So well he did her deadly wounds repaire,
That at the last shee gan to breath out living
aire.
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