Here she a while may make her safe abode, Till she repaired have her tackles spent, And wants supplide; and then againe abroad On the long voiage whereto she is bent: Well may she speede, and fairely finish her intent! *

* We do not learn the particular enterprises in which the Redcross Knight engaged after his marriage with Una. He appears occasionally in the subsequent books, but only incidentally, and not to take any part in the main action. H.

THE SECOND BOOKE

OF

THE FAERIE QUEENE,

CONTAYNING

THE LEGEND OF SIR GUYON, OR OF TEMPERAUNCE.

1 RIGHT well I wote, most mighty Soveraine,
That all this famous antique history

Of some th' aboundance of an ydle braine
Will iudged be, and painted forgery,
Rather then matter of iust memory;

Sith none that breatheth living aire does know Where is that happy land of Faëry,

Which I so much doe vaunt, yet no where show; But vouch antiquities, which no body can know.

2 But let that man with better sence advize1
1
That of the world least part to us is red 2;
And daily how through hardy enterprize
Many great regions are discovered,
Which to late age were never mentioned.
Who ever heard of th' Indian Peru?

1 Advize, bear in mind.

2 Red, made known.

Or who in venturous vessell measured

The Amazon huge river, now found trew? Or fruitfullest Virginia who did ever vew?

3 Yet all these were, when no man did them know, Yet have from wisest ages hidden beene;

And later times thinges more unknowne shall show. Why then should witlesse man so much misweene,1 That nothing is, but that which he hath seene? What, if within the moones fayre shining spheare, What, if in every other starre unseene Of other worldes he happily 2 should heare? He wonder would much more; yet such to some appeare.

4 Of Faery lond yet if he more inquyre,
By certein signes, here sett in sondrie place,
He may it fynd; ne let him then admyre,

3

But yield his sence to bee too blunt and bace, That no'te without an hound fine footing trace. And thou, O fayrest Princesse under sky, In this fayre mirrhour maist behold thy face, And thine owne realmes in lond of Faëry, And in this antique ymage thy great auncestry.

5 The which, O, pardon me thus to enfold

In covert vele, and wrap in shadowes light,

1 Misweene, misjudge.

2 Happily, haply.

8 No'te, knows not, contracted from ne wote.

IV. 6. Fayrest Princesse.] Queen Elizabeth.

That feeble eyes your glory may behold, Which ells could not endure those beamës bright, But would bee dazled with exceeding light. O pardon! and vouchsafe with patient eare The brave adventures of this Faery Knight, The good Sir Guyon, gratiously to heare; In whom great rule of Temp'raunce goodly doth ap

peare.

CANTO I.

Guyon, by Archimage abusd,

The Redcrosse Knight awaytes
Fyndes Mordant and Amavia slaine
With Pleasures poisoned baytes.

1 THAT conning Architect of cancred guyle, Whom Princes late displeasure left in bands, For falsed letters, and suborned wyle, Soone as the Redcrosse Knight he understands To beene departed out of Eden landes, To serve againe his soveraine Elfin Queene, His artes he moves, and out of caytives handes1 Himselfe he frees by secret meanes unseene; His shackles emptie lefte, himselfe escaped cleene,

2 And forth he fares, full of malicious mynd,.
To worken mischiefe, and avenging woe,
Whereever he that godly Knight may fynd,.
His onely hart-sore and his onely foe;
Sith Una now he algates 2 must forgoe,
Whom his victorious handes did earst restore

1 Caytives handes, hands of menials employed to keep him. 2 Algates, in any case, at any rate.

VOL. I.

23