The Poetical Works of Edmund Spenser

So foorth they went, and both together giusted;
But that same younker soone was ouerthrowne,
And made repent, that he had rashly lusted
For thing vnlawfull, that was not his owne :
Yetsince he seemed valiant, though vnknowne,
She that no lesse was courteous then stout,
Cast how to salue, that both the custome showne
Were kept,and yet that Knight not locked out,
That seem'd full hard t'accord two things so
far in dout.

Such when those Knights and Ladies all about
Beheld her, all were with amazement smit,
And euery one gan grow in secret dout
Of this and that, according to each wit:
Some thought that some enchantment faygned
it;

Some, that Bellona in that warlike wise
To them appear'd, with shield and armour fit ;
Some, that it was a maske of strange disguise :
Sodiuersely each one did sundrie doubts deuise.
15

But that young Knight, which through her
gentle deed

Was to that goodly fellowship restor'd,
Ten thousand thankes did yeeld her for her
meed,

And doubly ouercommen, her ador'd:
So did they all their former strife accord;
And eke fayre Amoret now freed from feare,
More franke affection did to her afford,
And to her bed, which she was wont forbeare,

Now freely drew, and found right safe assurance

theare.

Where all that night they of their loues did treat,
And hard aduentures twixt themselues alone,
That each the other gan with passion great,
And griefull pittie priuately bemone.
The morow next so soone as Titan shone,
They both vprose, and to their waies them dight:
Long wandred they, yet neuer met with none,
That to their willes could them direct aright,
Or to them tydings tell, that mote their harts
delight.
17

Lo thus they rode, till at the last they spide
Twoarmed Knights, that toward them did pace,
And ech of them had ryding by his side
A Ladie, seeming in so farre a space,
But Ladies none they were, albee in face
And outward shew faire semblance they did
beare;

For vnder maske of beautie and good grace,
Vile treason and fowle falshood hidden were,
Thatmote to none but to the warie wise appeare.
18

The one of them the false Duessa hight,

That now had chang'd her former wonted hew:
For she could d'on so manie shapes in sight,
As euer could Cameleon colours new ;
So could she forge all colours, saue the trew.
The other no whit better was then shee,
But that such as she was, she plaine did shew;
Yet otherwise much worse, if worse might bee,
And dayly more offensiue vnto each degree.

There was the signe of antique Babylon,

Of fatall Thebes, of Rome that raigned long, Of sacred Salem, and sad Ilion,

For memorie of which on high there hong The golden Apple, cause of all their wrong, For which the three faire Goddesses did striue: There also was the name of Nimrod strong, Of Alexander, and his Princes fiue,

And eke of priuate persons many moe,
That were too long a worke to count them all;
Some of sworne friends, that did their faith
forgoe;

Some of borne brethren, prov'd vnnaturall;
Some of deare louers, foes perpetuall:

Witnesse their broken bandes there to be seenc, Their girlonds rent, their bowres despoyled all; The moniments whereof there byding beene, As plaine as at the first, when they were fresh and greene. 25

Such was her house within; but all without,
The barren ground was full of wicked weedes,
Which she her selfe had sowen all about,
Now growen great, at first of little seedes,
The seedes of euill wordes, and factious deedes;
Which when to ripenesse due they growen arre,
Bring foorth an infinite increase, that breedes
Tumultuous trouble and contentious iarre,
The which most often end in bloudshed and
in warre.
26

And those same cursed seedes doe also serue
To her for bread, and yeeld her liuing food :
For life it is to her, when others sterue
Through mischieuous debate, and deadly feood,
That she may sucke their life, and drinke their
blood,

With whichshe from her childhood had benefed. For she at first was borne of hellish brood, And by infernall furies nourished, That by her monstrous shape might easily be red.

Her face most fowle and filthy was to see, With squinted eyes contrarie wayes intended, And loathly mouth, vnmeete a mouth to bee, That nought but galland venim comprehended, And wicked wordes that God and man offended: Her lying tongue was in two parts diuided, And both the parts did speake, and both contended;

And as her tongue, so was her hart discided, Which shar'd to them the spoiles that he had That neuer thoght one thing, but doubly stil got aliue.

And there the relicks of the drunken fray,
The which amongst the Lapithees befell,
And of the bloodie feast, which sent away
So many Centaures drunken soules to hell,
That vnder great Alcides furie fell:
And of the dreadfull discord, which did driue
The noble Argonauts to outrage fell,
That each of life sought others to depriue,
All mindlesse of the Golden fleece, which made
them striue.

was guided.

Als as she double spake, so heard she double,
With matchlesse eares deformed and distort,
Fild with false rumors and seditious trouble,
Bred in assemblies of the vulgar sort,
That still are led with euery light report.
And as her eares so eke her feet were odde,
And much vnlike, th'one long, the other short,
And both misplast; that when th'one for-
ward yode,

The other backe retired, and contrarie trode.

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