For his revolt; yet faithful how they stood,
Their glory withered: as when heaven's fire
Hath scathed the forest oaks, or mountain pines,
With singed top their stately growth, though bare,
Stands on the blasted heath. He now prepared
To speak; whereat their doubled ranks they bend
From wing to wing, and half enclose him round
With all his peers: attention held them mute.
Thrice he assayed, and thrice, in spite of scorn,
Tears, such as angels weep, burst forth: at last
Words interwove with sighs found out their way.
J. Milton.
FIGHT BETWEEN PRINCE ARTHUR AND THE SOLDAN.
WHEREWITH the soldan all with fury fraught,
Swearing and banning most blasphemously,
Commanded straight his armour to be brought;
And, mounting straight upon a charet high,
(With iron wheels and hooks armed dreadfully,
And drawn of cruel steeds which he had fed
With flesh of men, whom through fell tyranny
He slaughtered had, and ere they were half dead
Their bodies to his beasts for provender did spread ;)
So forth he came all in a coat of plate
Burnished with bloody rust; whiles on the green
The Briton prince him ready did await
In glistering arms right goodly well beseen,
That shone as bright as doth the heaven sheen;
And by his stirrup Talus did attend,
Playing his page's part as he had been
Before directed by his lord; to th' end
He should his flail to final execution bend.
Thus go they both together to their gear
With like fierce minds, but meanings different :
For the proud soldan, with presumptuous cheer
And countenance sublime and insolent,
Sought only slaughter and avengëment ;
But the brave prince for honour and for right,
Gainst tortuous power and lawless regiment,
In the behalf of wrongèd weak did fight:
More in his cause's truth he trusted than in might.
Like to the Thracian tyrant, who they say
Unto his horses gave his guests for meat,
Till he himself was made their greedy prey,
And torn in pieces by Alcides great;
So thought the soldan, in his folly's threat,
Either the prince in pieces to have torn
With his sharp wheels in his first rage's heat,
Or under his fierce horses' feet have borne,
And trampled down in dust his thoughts' disdainèd scorn.
But the bold Child that peril well espying,
If he too rashly to his charet drew,
Gave way unto his horses' speedy flying,
And their restless rigour did eschew:
Yet, as he passed by, the pagan threw
A shivering dart with so impetuous force,
That, had he not it shunned, with heedful view,
It had himself transfixèd or his horse,
Or made them both one mass withouten more remorse.
Oft drew the prince unto his charet nigh,
In hope some stroke to fasten on him near;
But he was mounted in his seat so high,
And his wing-footed coursers him did bear
So fast away, that, ere his ready spear
He could advance, he far was gone and past:
Yet still he him did follow everywhere,
And followed was of him likewise full fast.
So long as in his steeds the flaming breath did last.
Again the pagan threw another dart,
Of which he had with him abundant store
On every side of his embattled cart,
And of all other weapons less or more
Which warlike uses had devised of yore:
The wicked shaft, guided through th' airy wide
By some bad spirit that it to mischief bore,
Stayed not, till through his cur'et it did glide,
And made a griesly wound in his enriven side.
Much was he grievèd with that hapeless throe,
That opened had the well-spring of hisblood;
But much the more that to his hateful foe
He mote not come to wreak his wrathful mood:
That made him rave, like to a lion wood,
Which being wounded of the huntsman's hand
Cannot come near him in the covert wood,
Where he with boughs hath built his shady stand,
And fenced himself about with many a flaming brand.
Still when he sought t'approach unto him nigh
His charet wheels about him whirlèd round,
And made him back again as fast to fly;
And eke his steeds, like to an hungry hound
That hunting after game hath carrion found,
So cruelly did him pursue and chase,
That his good steed, all were he much renowned
For noble courage and for hardy race,
Durst not endure their sight, but fled from place to place.
Thus long they traced and traversed to and fro :
Seeking by every way to make some breach;
Yet could the prince not nigh unto him go,
That one sure stroke he might unto him reach,
Whereby his strength's assay he might him teach:
At last, from his victorious shield he drew
The veil, which did his powerful light empeach;
And coming full before his horses' view,
As they upon him pressed, it plain to them did shew.
Like lightning flash that hath the gazer burned,
So did the sight thereof their sense dismay,
That back again upon themselves they turned,
And with their rider ran perforce away :
Ne could the soldan them from flying stay
With reins or wonted rule, as well he knew :
Nought feared they what he could do or say,
But th' only fear that was before their view;
From which like mazèd deer dismayfully they flew.
Fast did they fly as them their feet could bear
High over hills, and lowly over dales,
As they were followed of their former fear:
In vain the pagan bans, and swears, and rails,
And back with both his hands unto him hales
The resty reins, regarded now no more :
He to them calls and speaks, yet nought avails;
They hear him not, they have forgot his lore;
But go which way they list; their guide they have forlore.
As when the fiery-mouthed steeds, which drew
The sun's bright wain to Phaeton's decay,
Soon as they did the monstrous scorpion view
With ugly crapples crawling in their way,
The dreadful sight did them so sore affray,
That their well-knowen courses they forwent ;
And, leading th' ever burning lamp astray,
This lower world nigh all to ashes brent,
And left their scorched path yet in the firmament.
Such was the fury of these headstrong steeds,
Soon as the Infant's sunlike shield they saw,
That all obedience both to words and deeds
They quite forgot, and scorned all former law
Through woods, and rocks, and mountains they did draw
The iron charet, and the wheels did tear,
And tossed the paynim without fear or awe;
From side to side they tossed him here and there,
Crying to them in vain that nould his crying hear.
Yet still the prince pursued him close behind,
Oft making offer him to smite, but found
No easy means according to his mind :
At last they have all overthrown to ground
Quite topside turvey, and the pagan hound
Amongst the iron hooks and grapples keen
Torn all to rags, and rent with many a wound ;
That no whole piece of him was to be seen,
But scattered all about, and strowed upon the green.
Like as the cursed son of Theseus,
That following his chase in dewy morn,
To fly his stepdame's love outrageous,
Of his own steeds was all to pieces torn,
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