Have borne him hence to Plutoes balefull bowres :

The conquest yours; I yours; the shield and glory yours!"

XV.

Not all so satisfide, with greedy eye

He sought, all round about, his thirsty blade

To bathe in blood of faithlesse enimy ;

Who all that while lay hid in secret shade:
He standes amazed how he thence should fade.

At last the trumpets triumph sound on hie;
And running heralds humble homage made,
Greeting him goodly with new victorie;

And to him brought the shield, the cause of enmitie.

XVI.

Wherewith he goeth to that soveraine Queene;
And, falling her before on lowly knee,

To her makes present of his service seene1:
Which she accepts with thankes and goodly gree,2
Greatly advauncing 3 his gay chevalree:

So marcheth home, and by her takes the Knight, Whom all the people followe with great glee, Shouting, and clapping all their hands on hight, That all the ayre it fils, and flyes to heaven bright.

XVII.

Home is he brought, and layd in sumptuous bed:
Where many skilfull leaches him abide
To salve his hurts, that yet still freshly bled.

1 Seene, tried. 2 Gree, favor.

3 Adrauncing, extolling.

XVII. 3. To salve his hurts, &c.] The Knight prevails in the encounter, as Holiness is unchangeable in its essence, and must subdue evil; but the effect of the influences to which he is exposed is shown in the fact that he did not escape without injury, unlike his fight with Sansfoy, in canto II.

In wine and oyle they wash his woundës wide,
And softly gan embalme on everie side.
And all the while most heavenly melody
About the bed sweet musicke did divide,
Him to beguile of griefe and agony :
And all the while Duessa wept full bitterly.

XVIII.

As when a wearie traveiler, that strayes

1

By muddy shore of broad seven-mouthed Nile,
Unweeting of the perillous wandring wayes,
Doth meete a cruell craftie crocodile,

Which, in false griefe hyding his harmefull guile,
Doth weepe full sore, and sheddeth tender tears;
The foolish man, that pities all this while

His mournefull plight, is swallowed up unwares;
Forgetfull of his owne, that mindes anothers cares.

XIX.

So wept Duessa untill eventyde,

That shyning lampes in Joves high house were light: Then forth she rose, ne lenger would abide ;

But comes unto the place, where th' Hethen Knight, In slombring swownd nigh voyd of vitall spright, Lay cover'd with inchaunted cloud all day: Whom when she found, as she him left in plight, To wayle his wofull case she would not stay, But to the easterne coast of heaven makes speedy way:

XX.

Where griesly Night, with visage deadly sad,
That Phoebus chearefull face durst never vew,
And in a foule blacke pitchy mantle clad,
She findes forth comming from her darksome mew;

1

1 Unweeting, unknowing. 2 Mew, place of confinement.

Where she all day did hide her hated hew.
Before the dore her yron charet stood,
Already harnessed for iourney new,

And cole-blacke steedes yborne of hellish brood, That on their rusty bits did champ, as they were wood.1

XXI.

Who when she saw Duessa, sunny bright,
Adornd with gold and iewels shining cleare,
She greatly grew amazed at the sight,
And th' unacquainted light began to feare;
(For never did such brightnes there appeare ;)
And would have backe retyred to her cave,
Untill the Witches speach she gan to heare,
Saying; "Yet, O thou dreaded Dame, I crave
Abyde, till I have told the message which I have."

XXII.

She stayd; and foorth Duessa gan proceede;
"O Thou, most auncient grandmother of all,
More old than Iove, whom thou at first didst breede,
Or that great house of gods cælestiall;
Which wast begot in Dæmogorgons hall,

And sawst the secrets of the world unmade;

Why suffredst thou thy Nephewes2 deare to fall
With Elfin sword, most shamefully betrade?

Lo, where the stout Sansioy doth sleepe in deadly shade!

XXIII.

"And, him before, I saw with bitter eyes

The bold Sansfoy shrinck underneath his speare;

1 Wood, mad.

2Nephewes, descendants.

XXI. 1.- Who when she saw, &c.] Night at first does not recognize Duessa in her assumed shape.

XXII. 5. — In Dæmogorgons hall,] i. e. in chaos.

And now the pray of fowles in field he lyes,
Nor wayld of friends, nor layd on groning beare,
That whylome was to me too dearely deare.
O! what of gods then boots it to be borne,
If old Aveugles sonnes so evill heare?

Or who shall not great Nightës children scorne,
When two of three her Nephews are so fowle forlorne?

1

XXIV.

"Up, then; up, dreary Dame, of darknes Queene;
Go, gather up the reliques of thy race;

Or else goe, them avenge; and let be seene
That dreaded Night in brightest day hath place,
And can the children of fayre Light deface."
Her feeling speaches some compassion mov'd
In hart, and chaunge in that great mothers face:
Yet pitty in her hart was never prov'd

Till then; for evermore she hated, never lov'd:

XXV.

And said, "Deare daughter, rightly may I rew,
The fall of famous children borne of mee,
And good successes, which their foes ensew:
But who can turne the streame of destinee,
Or breake the chayne of strong necessitee,
Which fast is tyde to Ioves eternall seat?
The sonnes of Day he favoureth, I see,
And by my ruines thinkes to make them great:
To make one great by others losse is bad excheat.2

1 Nephews, descendants.

2 Excheat, gain or profit.

XXIII. 7. Old Aveugles sonnes.] Aveugle (French for blind) is another name of the person she is addressing. XXIII. 7.

So evill heare.] A Latin idiom are so ill spoken of.

10

VOL. I.

XXVI.

"Yet shall they not escape so freely all;
For some shall pay the price of others guilt:
And he, the man that made Sansfoy to fall,
Shall with his owne blood price1 that he hath spilt.
But what art thou, that telst of Nephews kilt?"
"I, that do seeme not I, Duessa ame,"
Quoth she," how ever now, in garments gilt
And gorgeous gold arrayd, I to thee came;
Duessa I, the daughter of Deceipt and Shame."

XXVII.

Then, bowing downe her aged backe, she kist The wicked Witch, saying; "In that fayre face The false resemblaunce of Deceipt, I wist, Did closely lurke; yet so true-seeming grace It carried, that I scarse in darksome place Could it discerne; though I the mother bee Of Falshood, and roote of Duessaes race. O welcome, child, whom I have longd to see, I And now have seen unwares! Lo, now with thee."

go

XXVIII.

Then to her yron wagon she betakes,

And with her beares the fowle welfavourd Witch:
Through mirkesome aire her ready way she makes.
Her twyfold teme (of which two blacke as pitch,
And two were browne, yet each to each unlich,2)
Did softly swim away, ne ever stamp

Unlesse she chaunst their stubborne mouths to twitch;
Then, foming tarre, their bridles they would champ,
And trampling the fine element would fiercely ramp.
2 Unlich, unlike.

1 Price, pay the price of.

XXVIII. 8. Foming tarre.] Foaming forth what resembled tar.