34" But, if for me ye fight, or me will serve,
Not this rude kynd of battaill, nor these armes
Are meet, the which doe men in bale to sterve,1
And doolefull sorrow heape with deadly harmes :
Such cruell game my scarmoges2 disarmes.
Another warre, and other weapons, I

Doe love, where Love does give his sweet alarmes
Without bloodshéd, and where the enimy
Does yield unto his foe a pleasaunt victory.

35"Debatefull strife, and cruell enmity,

The famous name of knighthood fowly shend3;
But lovely peace, and gentle amity,

And in amours the passing howres to spend,
The mightie martiall handes doe most commend;
Of love they ever greater glory bore

Then of their armes: Mars is Cupidoes frend,
And is for Venus loves renowmed more

Then all his wars and spoiles, the which he did of yore."

36 Therewith she sweetly smyld. They, though full

bent

4

To prove extremities of bloody fight,

Yet at her speach their rages gan relent,

And calme the sea of their tempestuous spight: Such powre have pleasing wordes! Such is the might

Of courteous clemency in gentle hart!

Now after all was ceast, the Faery Knight

1 I. e. cause men to die in misery.

2 Scarmoges, skirmishes.

3 Shend, disgrace.

4 Prove, try.

Besought that damzell suffer him depart,
And yield him ready passage to that other part.

37 She no lesse glad then1 he desirous was
Of his departure thence; for of her ioy
And vaine delight she saw he light did pas,2
A foe of folly and immodest toy,

Still solemne sad, or still disdainfull coy ;
Delighting all in armes and cruell warre,
That her sweet peace and pleasures did annoy,
Troubled with terrour and unquiet iarre,
That she well pleased was thence to amove him farre.

38 Tho3 him she brought abord, and her swift bote
Forthwith directed to that further strand;
The which on the dull waves did lightly flote,
And soone arrived on the shallow sand,
Where gladsome Guyon salied forth to land,
And to that damsell thankes gave for reward.
Upon that shore he spyed Atin stand,

There by his maister left, when late he far'd
In Phædrias flitt barck over that perlous shard.5

4

6

39 Well could he him remember, sith of late
He with Pyrochles sharp debatement made :
Streight gan he him revyle, and bitter rate,
As shepheardes curre, that in dark eveninges shade
Hath tracted forth some salvage beastës trade 8 :

1 Then, than.

2 Pas, care for.

3 Tho, then.
4 Perlous, perilous.

5 Shard, division, boundary (see v. x. 1. 9).

6 He, i. e. Atin.

7 Tracted forth, traced out.

8 Trade, tread, footsteps.

"Vile miscreaunt," said he, "whether dost thou flye The shame and death, which will thee soone invade? What coward hand shall doe thee next to dye, That art thus fowly fledd from famous enimy?"

40 With that he stifly shooke his steelhead dart :
But sober Guyon hearing him so rayle,
Though somewhat moved in his mightie hart,
Yet with strong reason maistred passion fraile,
And passed fayrely1 forth. He, turning taile,
Backe to the strond retyrd, and there still stayd,
Awaiting passage, which him late did faile,
The whiles Cymochles with that wanton mayd
The hasty heat of his avowd revenge delayd.2

41 Whylest there the Varlet stood, he saw from farre
An armed knight that towardes him fast ran ;
He ran on foot, as if in lucklesse warre

His forlorne steed from him the victour wan:
He seemed breathlesse, hartlesse, faint, and wan;
And all his armour sprinckled was with blood,
And soyld with durtie gore, that no man cạn
Discerne the hew thereof: he never stood,

But bent his hastie course towardes the Ydle Flood.

42 The Varlett saw, when to the flood he came, How without stop or stay he fiersly lept, And deepe himselfe beducked in the same,

1 Fayrely, quietly.

2 Delayd, allayed.

XL. 7. — Which him late did faile.] See ante, Stanza 4. H.

That in the lake his loftie crest was stept,1 Ne of his safetie seemed care he kept; But with his raging armes he rudely flasht The waves about, and all his armour swept, That all the blood and filth away was washt; Yet still he bet the water, and the billowes dasht

43 Atin drew nigh to weet what it mote bee; For much he wondred at that uncouth 2 sight: Whom should he but his own deare lord there see, His owne deare lord Pyrochles in sad plight, Ready to drowne himselfe for fell despight: "Harrow 3 now, out and well away!" he cryde, "What dismall day hath lent this cursed light, To see my lord so deadly damnifyde 4? Pyrochles, O Pyrochles, what is thee betyde5?

3

44 "I burne, I burne, I burne," then lowd he cryde, "O how I burne with implacable fyre!

Yet nought can quench mine inly flaming syde,
Nor sea of licour cold, nor lake of myre;
Nothing but death can doe me to respyre."
"Ah! be it," said he, "from Pyrochles farre
After pursewing death once to requyre,7
Or think, that ought those puissant hands may

marre:

"6

Death is for wretches borne under unhappy starre."

1 Stept, steeped.

2 Uncouth, strange.

3 Harrow, an exclamation, first of alarm (help!), and then of sorrow (alas!).

4 Damnifyde, injured.

6 I. e. make me breathe again, give me ease.

7 I. e. seek after death, which of itself pursues us.

5 Betyde, happened.

45 "Perdye, then is it fitt for me," said he,
"That am, I weene, most wretched man alive;
Burning in flames, yet no flames can I see,
And, dying dayly, dayly yet revive :
O Atin, helpe to me last death to give!"
The Varlet at his plaint was grieved so sore,
That his deepe-wounded hart in two did rive;
And, his owne health remembring now no more,
Did follow that ensample which he blam'd afore.

46 Into the lake he lept his lord to ayd,

(So love the dread of daunger doth despise,) And, of him catching hold, him strongly stayd From drowning; but more happy he then1 wise Of that seas nature did him not avise 2:

3

The waves thereof so slow and sluggish were, Engrost with mud which did them fowle agrise,4 That every weighty thing they did upbeare, Ne ought mote ever sinck downe to the bottom there.

47 Whiles thus they strugled in that ydle wave,
And strove in vaine, the one himselfe to drowne,
The other both from drowning for to save;
Lo! to that shore one in an auncient gowne,
Whose hoary locks great gravitie did crowne,
Holding in hand a goodly arming sword,
By fortune came, ledd with the troublous sowne 5:

1 Then, than.

2 Avise, bethink himself.

3 Engrost, made thick.

4 Agrise, alarm.

5 Sowne, sound.