• Which doen, the doughty chalenger came forth, All arm'd to point, his chalenge to abet1:

Gainst whom Sir Priamond, with equall worth
And equall armes, himselfe did forward set.
A trompet blew; they both together met
With dreadfull force and furious intent,
Carelesse of perill in their fiers affret,2
As if that life to losse they had forelent,

And cared not to spare that should be shortly spent.

Right practicke was Sir Priamond in fight,
And throughly skild in use of shield and speare
Ne lesse approved was Cambelloes might,
Ne lesse his skill in weapons did appeare;
That hard it was to weene which harder were.

Full many mightie strokes on either side
Were sent, that seemed death in them to beare:
But they were both so watchfull and well eyde,
That they avoyded were, and vainely by did slyde

6 Yet one, of many, was so strongly bent
By Priamond, that with unluckie glaunce
Through Cambels shoulder it unwarely went,
That forced him his shield to disadvaunce5:
Much was he grieved with that gracelesse chaunce
Yet from the wound no drop of bloud there fell,
But wondrous paine that did the more enhaunce

1 Abel, maintain.

Affret, encounter.

4 Practicke, practised, skilful.
5 Disadvaunce, draw back or lower

1. e. already abandoned, given over for lost.

His haughtie courage to avengement fell: Smart daunts not mighty harts, but makes them more to swell.

With that, his poynant' speare he fierce aventred' With doubled force, close underneath his shield, That through the mayles into his thigh it entred, And, there arresting, readie way did yield For bloud to gush forth on the grassie field; That he for paine himselfe n'ot right upreare, But to and fro in great amazement reel'd; Like an old oke, whose pith and sap is seare, At puffe of every storme doth stagger here and theare.

10 Whom so dismayd when Cambell had espide,
Againe he drove at him with double might,
That nought mote stay the steele, till in his side
The mortall point most cruelly empight*;
Where fast infixed, whilest he sought by slight
It forth to wrest, the staffe asunder brake,
And left the head behind: with which despight
He, all enrag'd, his shivering speare did shake,
And, charging him afresh, thus felly him bespake:

11"Lo! faitour, there thy meede unto thee take, The meede of thy mischalenge and abet:

1 Poynant, piercing.

2 Arentred, thrust forward. N'ot, could not.

4 Empight, fixed itself.
5 Shirering, quivering
Faitour, villain.

XL. 2.- Thy mischalenge und abet.] Thy malicious challenge and thy maintaining it.

Not for thine owne, but for thy Sisters sake,
Have I thus long thy life unto thee let:
But to forbeare doth not forgive the det."
The wicked weapon heard his wrathfull vow;
And, passing forth with furious affret,

Pierst through his bever quite into his brow, That with the force it backward forced him to bow.

12 Therewith asunder in the midst it brast,1
And in his hand nought but the troncheon left;
The other halfe behind yet sticking fast
Out of his head-peece Cambell fiercely reft,
And with such furie backe at him it heft,2
That, making way unto his dearest life,
His weasand-pipe it through his gorget cleft:
Thence streames of purple bloud issuing rife

Let forth his wearie ghost, and made an end oʻ

strife.

18 His wearie ghost assoyld from fleshly band
Did not, as others wont, directly fly
Unto her rest in Plutoes griesly land;
Ne into ayre did vanish presently;
Ne chaunged was into a starre in sky;
But through traduction was eftsoones derived,
Like as his mother prayd the Destinie,

Into his other brethren that survived,

In whom he liv'd anew, of former life deprived.

1 Brast, burst.

2 fleft, heaved.
8 Assoyld, freed.

4 Traduction, transfer.

Derived, transmitted

Throggs seems feeling of me generous sprgut.
Rashe feely fleti tue batel w renew.

As in reverse of is truchers right:

And calengor the Tign as the DeW.

His foe was soute autres: the trompets freshly Liew.

is With that they back together fiercely met, As if that ear men wher 1 devoure: And with their ares both so sorely bet

That neither plate or magie, where as their powre They fell ovund once sustaine the hideous slowTE“ But rived were, like rosen wood, asunder;

Willest through their rifts the ruddie bloud did sborne,

And fire did fash. like lightning after thunder. That fild the lookers on attonce with ruth and wonder.

16 As when two tygers prickt with hungers rage Have by good fortune found some beasts fresh spoyle,

On which they weene their famine to a-swage,
And gaine a feastfull guerdon of their toyle;
Both falling out doe stirre up strifetull broyle,
And cruell battell twixt themselves doe make,

4 L. e. his second brother, Diamond.

2 L. e. he did not yield leave, give way. Addrest, ready.

4 Store, assault.

5 Ruth, pity.

Whiles neither lets the other touch the soyle, But either sdeignes with other to partake: So cruelly these knights strove for that Ladies sake

17 Full many strokes, that mortally were ment,
The whiles were enterchaunged twixt them two;
Yet they were all with so good wariment
Or warded, or avoyded and let goe,

That still the life stood fearelesse of her foe;
Till Diamond, disdeigning long delay

Of doubtfull fortune wavering to and fro,

Resolv'd to end it one or other way;

And heav'd his murdrous axe at him with mighty sway.

8 The dreadfull stroke, in case it had arrived
Where it was ment, (so deadly it was ment,)
The soule had sure out of his bodie rived,
And stinted' all the strife incontinent;
But Cambels fate that fortune did prevent:
For, seeing it at hand, he swarv'd asyde,
And so gave way unto his fell intent;

Who, missing of the marke which he had eyde,

Was with the force nigh feld whilst his right foot did

slyde: .

9 As when a vulture greedie of his Through hunger long that hart

1 Stinted, stopped.

pray,

to him doth lend,

2 I. e. courage.

XVI. 7. -To take soil was a hunting term for taking water when game is driven to that refuge (Fr. souille). Spenser uses it very singularly, for the prey itself. NARES.