Of straunge adventures, which abroad did pas.

"Ah! my dear sonne," quoth he, "how should, alas ! Silly old man, that lives in hidden cell,

Bidding his beades all day for his trespas, Tydings of warre and worldly trouble tell? With holy father sits not with such thinges to mell.3

31 "But if of daunger, which hereby doth dwell, And homebredd evil ye desire to heare,

Of a straunge man I can you tidings tell, That wasteth all this countrie farre and neare. "Of such," saide he, "I chiefly doe inquere ; And shall thee well rewarde to shew the place, In which that wicked wight his dayes doth weare : For to all knighthood it is foule disgrace, That such a cursed creature lives so long a space."

32 "Far hence," quoth he, "in wastfull wildernesse, His dwelling is, by which no living wight May ever passe, but thorough great distresse." "Now," saide the Ladie, "draweth toward night; And well I wote, that of your later fight

3

Ye all forwearied be; for what so strong,

But, wanting rest, will also want of might?

The sunne, that measures heaven all day long,

At night doth baite his steedes the ocean waves emong.

33

"Then with the sunne take, Sir, your timely rest, And with new day new worke at once begin :

Untroubled night, they say, gives counsell best."

1 Sits, is becoming, suits.
3 Forwearied, wearied out.

2 Meil, meddle.

"Right well, Sir Knight, ye have advised bin," Quoth then that aged man; "the way to win Is wisely to advise: now day is spent ;

Therefore with me ye may take up your in1

For this same night." The Knight was well content: So with that godly Father to his home they went.

34 A litle lowly hermitage it was,

Downe in a dale, hard by a forests side, Far from resort of people, that did pas In traveil to and froe: a litle wyde 2 There was an holy chappell edifyde, Wherein the Hermite dewly wont to say His holy thinges each morne and eventyde: Thereby a christall streame did gently play, Which from a sacred fountaine welled forth alway.

35 Arrived there, the litle house they fill,

Ne looke for entertainement, where none was ; Rest is their feast, and all thinges at their will: The noblest mind the best contentment has. With faire discourse the evening so they pas; For that olde man of pleasing wordes had store,

4

And well could file his tongue, as smooth as glas: He told of saintes and popes, and evermore

He strowd an Ave-Mary after and before.

36 The drouping night thus creepeth on them fast; And the sad humor loading their eye-liddes,

As messenger of Morpheus, on them cast

Sweet slombring deaw, the which to sleep them biddes.

Unto their lodgings then his guestes he riddes1: Where when all drownd in deadly sleepe he findes,

He to his studie goes; and there amiddes

His magick bookes, and artes of sundrie kindes, He seekes out mighty charmes to trouble sleepy minds.

37 Then choosing out few words most horrible,
(Let none them read!) thereof did verses fraine;
With which, and other spelles like terrible,
He bad awake blacke Plutoes griesly dame;
And cursed heven; and spake reprochful shame
Of highest God, the Lord of life and light.
A bold bad man! that dar'd to call by name
Great Gorgon, prince of darknes and dead night;
At which Cocytus quakes, and Styx is put to flight.

as And forth he cald out of deepe darknes dredd
Legions of sprights, the which, like litle flyes,
Fluttring about his ever-damned hedd,
Awaite whereto their service he applyes,
To aide his friendes, or fray 2 his enimies:
Of those he chose out two, the falsest twoo,
And fittest for to forge true-seeming lyes;
The one of them he gave a message too,
The other by himselfe staide other worke to doo.

1 Riddes, dismisses.

2 Fray, alarm.

39 He, making speedy way through spersed1 ayre,
And through the world of waters wide and deepe,
To Morpheus house doth hastily repaire.
Amid the bowels of the earth full steepe,
And low, where dawning day doth never peepe,
His dwelling is; there Tethys his wet bed
Doth ever wash, and Cynthia still doth steepe
In silver deaw his ever-drouping hed,

Whiles sad Night over him her mantle black doth spred.

40 Whose double gates he findeth locked fast; The one faire fram'd of burnisht yvory,

The other all with silver overcast ;

And wakeful dogges before them farre doe lye,
Watching to banish Care their enimy,
Who oft is wont to trouble gentle Sleepe.
By them the Sprite doth passe in quietly,

And unto Morpheus comes, whom drowned deepe In drowsie fit he findes; of nothing he takes keepe.2

41 And, more to lulle him in his slumber soft,

A trickling streame from high rock tumbling downe, And ever-drizling raine upon the loft,3

Mixt with a murmuring winde, much like the sowne

1 Spersed, dispersed.

2 Keepe, heed.

8 Loft, floor.

4 Sowne, sound.

XL. 3.- Silver overcast.] The ancient poets supposed that there were two gates of Sleep, one of horn, which sent forth true dreams, and one of ivory, which sent false. Spenser substitutes silver for horn, because the magician cannot be supposed to have power over truth in any shape.

Of swarming bees, did caste him in a swowne.
No other noyse, nor peoples troublous cryes,
As still are wont t' annoy the walled towne,
Might there be heard: but carelesse Quiet lyes,
Wrapt in eternall silence farre from enimyes.

42 The messenger approching to him spake;

But his waste wordes retournd to him in vaine : So sound he slept, that nought mought him awake. Then rudely he him thrust, and pusht with paine, Whereat he gan to stretch: but he againe Shooke him so hard, that forced him to speake. As one then in a dreame, whose dryer braine Is tost with troubled sights and fancies weake, He mumbled soft, but would not all his silence breake.*

4s The Sprite then gan more boldly him to wake,
And threatned unto him the dreaded name
Of Hecaté: whereat he gan to quake,
And, lifting up his lompish head, with blame
Halfe angrie asked him, for what he came.
"Hether," quoth he, “me Archimago sent
He that the stubborne sprites can wisely tame;
He bids thee to him send for his intent

A fit false dreame, that can delude the sleepers sent."

1 Lompish, heavy.

2 Sent, perception, senses.

XLIII. 6. — Archimago,] i. e. arch-magician. He is a type of Hypocrisy or Fraud, and, as opposed to Christian Holiness em bodied in the Red-cross Knight, may also represent Satan the incarnate principle of evil. H.