3 Stretch
ed. 4 Pretended, seemed.
'Nay, nay, thou greedy Tantalus,' quoth he,
'Abide the fortune of thy present fate;
And, unto all that live in high degree,
Ensample be of mind intemperate,
To teach them how to use their present state.'
Then gan the cursed wretch aloud to cry,
Accusing highest Jove and gods ingrate;
And eke blaspheming heaven bitterly,
As author of injustice, there to let him die.
He look'd a little further and espied
Another wretch, whose carcase deep was drent1
Within the river which the same did hide:
But both his hands, most filthy feculent,2
Above the water were on high extent,3
And feign'd to wash themselves incessantly,
Yet nothing cleaner were for such intent,
But rather fouler seemed to the eye;
So lost his labour vain and idle industry.
The Knight, him calling, asked who he was?
Who, lifting up his head, him answer'd thus;
'I Pilate am, the falsest judge, alas!
And most unjust; that, by unrighteous
And wicked doom, to Jews despiteous 5
Delivered up the Lord of Life to die,
And did acquit a murd'rer felonous;
The whiles my hands I wash'd in purity,6
of purity. The whiles my soul was soil'd with foul iniquity.'
Infinite moe tormented in like pain
He there beheld, too long here to be told:
Ne Mammon would there let him long remain,
For terror of the tortures manifold,
In which the damned souls he did behold,
But roughly him bespake: "Thou fearful fool,
Why takest not of that same fruit of gold?
Ne 1 sittest down on that same silver stool,
To rest thy weary person in the shadow cool?'
All which he did to do2 him deadly fall
In frail intemperance through sinful bait;
To which if he inclined had at all,
That dreadful fiend, which did behind him wait,
Would him have rent in thousand pieces straight:
But he was wary wise in all his way,
And well perceived his deceitful sleight,
Ne suffer'd lust 3 his safety to betray:
So goodly did beguile the guiler of his prey.
And now he has so long remained there,
That vital powers gan wax both weak and wan
For want of food and sleep, which two upbear,
Like mighty pillars, this frail life of man,
That none without the same enduren can:
For now three days of men were full outwrought,
Since he this hardy enterprise began:
Forthy 5 great Mammon fairly he besought
Into the world to guide him back, as he him brought.
The god, though loth, yet was constrain'd t' obey;
For longer time, than that, no living wight
Below the earth might suffer'd be to stay:
So back again him brought to living light.
But all so soon as his enfeebled sprite
Gan suck this vital air into his breast,
As overcome with too exceeding might,
The life did flit away out of her nest,
And all his senses were with deadly fit opprest.
Sir Guyon, laid in swoon, is by
Acrates' sons despoil'd;
Whom Arthur soon hath rescued
And Paynim brethren foil'd.
AND is there care in heaven? And is there love In heavenly spirits to these creatures base, That may compassion of their evils move? There is:-else much more wretched were the case Of men than beasts: but O! th' exceeding grace Of Highest God that loves his creatures so, And all his works with mercy doth embrace, That blessed Angels he sends to and fro, To serve to wicked man, to serve his wicked foe!
How oft do they their silver bowers leave
To come to succour us that succour want!
How oft do they with golden pinions cleave
The flitting skies, like flying pursuivant,*
Against foul fiends to aid us militant!
They for us fight, they watch and duly ward,
And their bright squadrons round about us plant;
And all for love and nothing for reward:
O, why should Heavenly God to men have such
regard!
*Pursuivant:' an officer-at-arms.
During the while that Guyon did abide
In Mammon's House, the palmer, whom whilere11 A little
That wanton maid* of passage had denied,
By further search had passage found elsewhere;
And, being on his way, approached near
Where Guyon lay in trance; when suddenly
He heard a voice that called loud and clear,
'Come hither, come hither, O! come hastily!'
That all the fields resounded with the rueful cry.
The palmer lent his ear unto the noise,
To weet2 who called so impórtunely:
Again he heard a more efforced3 voice,
That bade him come in haste: he by and by
His feeble feet directed to the cry;
Which to that shady delve him brought at last,
Where Mammon erst5 did sun his treasury:
There the good Guyon he found slumb'ring fast
In senseless dream; which sight at first him sore
Beside his head there sat a fair young man,
Of wondrous beauty and of freshest years,
Whose tender bud to blossom new began,
And flourish fair above his equal peers:
His snowy front, curled with golden heares,"
Like Phoebus' face adorn'd with sunny rays,
Divinely shone; and two sharp winged shears,
Decked with diverse plumes, like painted jay's,
Were fixed at his back to cut his airy ways.
Like as Cupido on Idæan hill,
When having laid his cruel bow away
* Maid:' Phædria; see Canto VI. stanza xix.
8 Wings shaped like
shearblades.
And mortal arrows, wherewith he doth fill
The world with murd'rous spoils and bloody prey,
With his fair mother he him dights1 to play,
And with his goodly sisters, Graces three;
The goddess, pleased with his wanton play,
Suffers herself through sleep beguil❜d to be,
The whiles the other ladies mind their merry glee.
Whom when the palmer saw, abash'd he was
Through fear and wonder, that he nought could say,
Till him the child2 bespoke; Long lack'd, alas,
Hath been thy faithful aid in hard assay!3
Whiles deadly fit thy pupil doth dismay,
Behold this heavy sight, thou reverend sire!
But dread of death and dolour do away;
For life ere long shall to her home retire,
And he, that breathless seems, shall courage bold
respire.
'The charge, which God doth unto me arett,*
Of his dear safety, I to thee commend;
Yet will I not forego, ne 5 yet forget
The care thereof myself unto the end,
But evermore him succour, and defend
Against his foe and mine: watch thou, I pray;
For evil is at hand him to offend.'
So having said, eftsoons he gan display
His painted nimble wings, and vanish'd quite away.
The palmer seeing his left empty place,
And his slow eyes beguiled of their sight,
Wox sore afraid, and standing still a space
Gaz'd after him, as fowl escap'd by flight:
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