Drew them in partes, and each made others foe:
Still did they strive and daily disagree;

The eldest did against the youngest goe,

And both against the middest meant to worken woe.

XIV.

Where when the Knight arriv'd, he was right well
Receiv'd, as Knight of so much worth became,
Of second Sister, who did far excell

The other two; Medina was her name,
A sober, sad,1 and comely courteous Dame:
Who rich arayd, and yet in modest guize,
In goodly garments that her well became,
Fayre marching forth in honorable wize,
Him at the threshold mett and well did enterprize.2

XV.

She led him up into a goodly bowre,

And comely courted 3 with meet modestie;
Ne in her speach, ne in her haviour,
Was lightnesse seene or looser vanitie,
But gratious womanhood, and gravitie,
Above the reason of her youthly yeares:
Her golden lockes she roundly did uptye
In breaded tramels, that no looser heares
Did out of order stray about her daintie eares.

XVI.

Whilest she her selfe thus busily did frame
Seemely to entertaine her new-come guest,
Newes hereof to her other Sisters came,

1 Sad,

grave.

2 Enterprize, receive.

3 Courted, entertained.

4 Reason, proportion.

XV. 8.- In breaded tramels.] In woven or plaited divisions resembling net-work. Tramel means a net.

Who all this while were at their wanton rest,
Accourting each her frend with lavish fest:
They were two Knights of perelesse puissaunce,
And famous far abroad for warlike gest,1

Which to these Ladies love did countenaunce,2 And to his Mistresse each himselfe strove to advaunce.

XVII.

He, that made love unto the eldest Dame,
Was hight 3 Sir Huddibras, an hardy man;
Yet not so good of deedes as great of name,
Which he by many rash adventures wan,
Since errant armes to sew 4 he first began.
More huge in strength then wise in workes he was,
And reason with foole-hardize over-ran;

Sterne melancholy did his courage pas;

And was, for terrour more, all armd in shyning bras.

XVIII.

But he, that lov'd the youngest, was Sansloy;
He, that faire Una late fowle outraged,

The most unruly and the boldest boy

That ever warlike weapons menaged,

And all to lawlesse lust encouraged

Through strong opinion of his matchlesse might;
Ne ought he car'd whom he endamaged

1 Gest, deed.

2 Countenaunce, made a show of.

3 Hight, named.

4 Sew, pursue.

XVII. 8.- Sterne melancholy, &c.] His moroseness or ill temper was greater than his courage.

XVIII. 1.- Sansloy.] Sansloy reappears from book I. canto VI., where he had fled from Una at the sudden apparition of the satyrs. XVIII. 3. Boldest boy.] Boy here means a youth or young

man.

VOL. I.

25

1

By tortious wrong, or whom bereav'd of right;

He, now this Ladies champion, chose for love to fight.

XIX.

These two gay Knights, vowd to so diverse loves,

Each other does envý with deadly hate,
And daily warre against his foeman moves,

In hope to win more favour with his mate,
And th' others pleasing service to abate,
To magnifie his owne.

But when they heard

How in that place straunge Knight arrived late, Both Knights and Ladies forth right angry far'd, And fercely unto battell sterne themselves prepar❜d.

XX.

But, ere they could proceede unto the place
Where he abode, themselves at discord fell,
And cruell combat ioynd in middle space:
With horrible assault, and fury fell,

They heapt huge strokes the scorned life to quell,
That all on uprore from her settled seat

The house was raysd, and all that in did dwell;
Seemd that lowde thunder with amazement great

Did rend the ratling skyes with flames of fouldring 2 heat.

XXI.

The noyse thereof cald forth that straunger Knight,
To weet 3 what dreadfull thing was there in hond;
Where whenas two brave Knightes in bloody fight
With deadly rancour he enraunged fond,

His sunbroad shield about his wrest he bond,
And shyning blade unsheathd, with which he ran

Tortious, injurious.

2 Fouldring, thundering. 3 Weet, learn.

XXI. 2.- Was there in hond.] Was there going on.

Unto that stead,1 their strife to understond;
And, at his first arrivall, them began

With goodly meanes to pacifie, well as he can.

XXII.

But they, him spying, both with greedy forse
Attonce upon him ran, and him beset
With strokes of mortall steele without remorse,
And on his shield like yron sledges bet.
As when a beare and tygre, being met

In cruell fight on Lybicke ocean wide,
Espye a traveiler with feet surbet,2

Whom they in equall pray hope to divide,

They stint their strife, and him assayle on everie side.

XXIII.

But he, not like a weary traveilere,

Their sharp assault right boldly did rebut,
And suffred not their blowes to byte him nere,
But with redoubled buffes them backe did put;
Whose grieved mindes, which choler did englut,*
Against themselves turning their wrathfull spight,
Gan with new rage their shieldes to hew and cut.
But still, when Guyon came to part their fight,
With heavie load on him they freshly gan to smight.

XXIV.

As a tall ship tossed in troublous seas,

1 Stead, place.

2 Surbet, wearied or bruised.

3 Rebut, repel.

4 Englut, fill.

Their strife to understond.] To learn the cause of their

XXII. 6.- Lybicke ocean.] By "Lybicke ocean," Spenser probably means an African desert or ocean of sand. As we do not look to poets for instruction in natural history, the value of this image is not impaired by the fact that tigers are not met with in Africa, and that it is doubtful whether bears are.

Whom raging windes, threatning to make the pray
Of the rough rockes, doe diversly disease,1
Meetes two contrárie billowes by the way,
That her on either side doe sore assay,

And boast 2 to swallow her in greedy grave;

Shee, scorning both their spights, does make wide way, And, with her brest breaking the fomy wave,

Does ride on both their backs, and faire herself doth save: XXV.

So boldly he him beares, and rusheth forth

Betweene them both, by conduct of his blade.
Wondrous great prowesse and heroick worth
He shewd that day, and rare ensample made,
When two so mighty warriours he dismade:
Attonce he wards and strikes; he takes and paies;
Now forst to yield, now forcing to invade ;
Before, behind, and round about him laies:

So double was his paines, so double be his praise.

XXVI.

Straunge sort of fight, three valiaunt Knights to see
Three combates ioine in one, and to darraine 3
A triple warre with triple enmitee,

All for their Ladies froward love to gaine,

Which, gotten, was but hate. So Love does raine
In stoutest minds, and maketh monstrous warre;
He maketh warre, he maketh peace againe,
And yett his peace is but continual iarre 4:
O miserable men, that to him subiect arre!

XXVII.

Whilst thus they mingled were in furious armes,
The faire Medina with her tresses torne

1 Disease, distress.

3 Darraine, engage in.

2 Boast, threaten.

4 Iarre, jar.