The whole atchievement of this doubtfull warre,
Came running fast to greet his victorie,
With sober gladnesse and myld modestie;
And, with sweet ioyous cheare, him thus bespake;
"Fayre braunch of noblesse, flowre of chevalrie,
That with your worth the world amazed make,
How shall I quite the paynes, ye suffer for my sake?

XXVII.

"And you, fresh budd of vertue springing fast,
Whom these sad eyes saw nigh unto deaths dore,
What hath poor Virgin for such perill past
Wherewith you to reward? Accept therefore
My simple selfe, and service evermore.
And he that high does sit, and all things see
With equall eye, their merites to restore,
Behold what ye this day have done for mee;
And, what I cannot quite, requite with usuree!

XXVIII.

"But sith 2 the heavens, and your faire handeling,3
Have made you master of the field this day;
Your fortune maister eke with governing,
And, well begonne, end all so well, I pray!
Ne let that wicked Woman scape away;
For she it is, that did my Lord bethrall,
My dearest Lord, and deepe in dongeon lay;
Where he his better dayes hath wasted all :
O heare, how piteous he to you for ayd does call!"

1 Quite, requite.

XXVII. 1.
XXVIII. 3.

And you, &c.] She addresses herself to the squire. Your fortune, &c.] Complete with good conduct your fortune, or the task allotted to you.

XXIX.

Forthwith he gave in charge unto his Squyre,
That scarlot Whore to keepen carefully;
Whyles he himselfe with greedie great desyre
Into the castle entred forcibly,

Where living creature none he did espye:

Then gan he lowdly through the house to call;
But no man car'd to answere to his crye:

There raignd a solemne silence over all ;

Nor voice was heard, nor wight was seene in bowre or hall!

XXX.

At last, with creeping crooked pace forth came
An old old man, with beard as white as snow;
That on a staffe his feeble steps did frame,1
And guyde his wearie gate both too and fro;
For his eye sight him fayled long ygo:
And on his arme a bounch of keyes he bore,
The which unused rust did overgrow:

Those were the keyes of every inner dore;

But he could not them use, but kept them still in store.

XXXI.

But very uncouth sight was to behold,
How he did fashion his untoward pace;
For as he forward moov'd his footing old,
So backward still was turnd his wrincled face:
Unlike to men, who ever, as they trace,
Both feet and face one way are wont to lead.
This was the auncient Keeper of that place,

1 Frame, lean.

XXX. 7.- Unused rust.] Rust from being unused.

And foster father of the Gyaunt dead; His name Ignaro did his nature right aread.1

XXXII.

His reverend heares and holy gravitee

The Knight much honord, as beseemed well; And gently askt, where all the people bee, Which in that stately building wont to dwell: Who answerd him full soft, He could not tell. Again he askt, where that same Knight was layd, Whom great Orgoglio with his puissaunce fell Had made his caytive thrall: Againe he sayde, He could not tell; ne ever other answere made.

XXXIII.

Then asked he, which way he in might pas:
He could not tell, againe he answered.
Thereat the courteous Knight displeased was,
And said; Old syre, it seemes thou hast not red2
How ill it sits with that same silver hed,

In vaine to mocke, or mockt in vaine to bee:
But if thou be, as thou art pourtrahed
With Natures pen, in ages grave degree,
Aread in graver wise what I demaund of thee.”

XXXIV.

His answere likewise was, He could not tell.
Whose senceless speach, and doted ignorance,
Whenas the noble Prince had marked well,
He ghest his nature by his countenance;

1 Aread, declare.

2 Red, learned.

XXXI. 9. His name Ignaro.] That is, Ignorance, a proper doorkeeper in the strong-hold of a false religion and a corrupt hierarchy.

And calm'd his wrath with goodly temperance.

Then, to him stepping, from his arme did reache
Those keyes, and made himselfe free enterance.
Each dore he opened without any breach :

There was no barre to stop, nor foe him to empeach.1

XXXV.

There all within full rich arayd he found,
With royall arras, and resplendent gold,
And did with store of every thing abound,
That greatest princes presence might behold.
But all the floore (too filthy to be told)

With blood of guiltlesse babes, and innocents trew,
Which there were slaine, as sheepe out of the fold,
Defiled was; that dreadfull was to vew ;

And sacred2 ashes over it was strowed new.

XXXVI.

And there beside of marble stone was built
An altare, carv'd with cunning ymagery;
On which trew Christians blood was often spilt,
And holy martyres often doen to dye,
With cruell malice and strong tyranny:
Whose blessed sprites, from underneath the stone,
To God for vengeance cryde continually;

And with great griefe were often heard to grone; That hardest heart would bleede to hear their piteous mone.

1 Empeach, hinder.

* Sacred, cursed.

XXXV. 6. With blood, &c.] Spenser has been supposed by some to allude here to the persecutions of the Protestants under Queen Mary.

XXXVI. 2. — An altare, &c.] "I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God." —REV. vi. 9.

XXXVII.

Through every rowme he sought, and everie bowr;
But no where could he find that wofull Thrall.
At last he came unto an yron doore,

That fast was lockt; but key found not at all
Emongst that bounch to open it withall;
But in the same a little grate was pight,1

Through which he sent his voyce, and lowd did call
With all his powre, to weet 2 if living wight
Were housed therewithin, whom he enlargen might.

XXXVIII.

Therewith an hollow, dreary, murmuring voyce
These pitteous plaintes and dolours did resound;
"O! who is that, which bringes me happy choyce
Of death, that here lye dying every stound,3

Yet live perforce in balefull darknesse bound?

For now three moones have changed thrice their hew, And have been thrice hid underneath the ground, Since I the heavens chearefull face did vew:

O welcome, thou, that doest of death bring tydings trew!"

XXXIX.

Which when that Champion heard, with percing point

Of pitty deare his hart was thrilled sore;

And trembling horrour ran through every ioynt,

For ruth of gentle Knight so fowle forlore 4 :
Which shaking off, he rent that yron dore
With furious force and indignation fell;
Where entred in, his foot could find no flore,

1 Pight, placed.

2 Weet, learn.

3

Stound, moment.

4 Forlore, forlorn.

XXXVII. 2.

That wofull Thrall.] The Red-cross Knight.